Nightmare
by ForteGirl
Summary: After a horrific accident, smiliar to a nightmare, Kaede and Kakashi find dreams can come true, be they good or bad. However, neither of them thought it would go this far and one finds themself in a battle to save the other. Complete. Please R&R.
1. Nightmare

Disclamier and Introduction:

Hello and welcome to Nightmare!

This story is a partner project with a good friend of mine, Kitsune. I give most of the credit to her genius, as something like this probably wouldn't have crossed my mind, had she not started it. Just for the record though, neither of us own any of the characters from Naruto. If we did, this story, along with us, probably wouldn't be here. Kaede is mine though, so I own her and the original plot of the nightmare. Credit for majority of the typing goes to Kit and the beginning and the editting goes to me.

Now, with all that aside, please sit back and enjoy.

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_Drip. _

_What was that noise? Kaede again found herself in a blank, black area. She was alone and all was silent except for that dripping sound. But what was it? She searched around, though saw nothing._

_Drip._

_For some reason, it sent a chill down her spine. The air smelled funny… Something wasn't right, especially after that little stream appeared. Was it water?. No... it was... blood??_

_Drip._

_She looked around until spotting a blade in the distance. But she only saw the hilt and the point, the middle covered along with the handle. It looked like it was thrust inside someone or something, with someone or something holding it. But who? Or what?_

_Kaede went to approach it, but couldn't move. Shapes and colors started to fill in, oddly shaded in an ominous manner. The area close to the blade filled in last. She blinked, her heart rate starting to speed up. She didn't like this. What was going on? Then, the rest of the picture filled in. No, she didn't like this at all. She hated it. She stood frozen, her breathing stopped, as she continued to stare at the blade. To her horror, she stared at it, the sharp, metal blade thrust through, her father, Kakashi. She wanted to scream, but couldn't. It only made it worse to see it was being held by... by... Sasuke..._

This image haunted the girl, the picture flashing in her mind as she walked, her eyes focused on the ground. Her father eyed her carefully from behind as she lagged behind her two teammates, who marched proudly ahead of her. A soft expression crossed his face as he continued to watch the little girl who shot a quick look back at him. It was worried and she had been doing that since she was jerked awake by that nightmare that morning. Kakashi was surprised he was able to get her outside; that's how spooked the young Hatake was. However, he had managed to talk her out of the house, knowing that she wouldn't dare let down the village by wriggling out of a mission because of a nightmare. She knew her responsibilities and knew how important missions were, no matter what they happened to be.

The three-person cell and their Jounin teacher continued down the path, the air between them calm and quiet. The mission had been simple. They were to deliver something to a small nearby village. Nothing really special or too hard, so it was fine for the Genin team. Kaede sighed, as something besides her nightmare troubled her. Her overactive paranoia was acting up again. Despite normally it proved right, it got to be annoying… The little girl let out another sigh as her ears picked up a subtle rustle. Sure, it was probably a rabbit or another animal, but again, it was the paranoia.

And again, it seemed to prove right. The rustling became less subtle and instead grew louder. They all became alert, but continued on, keeping on their toes as the noise increased. Kaede stopped and took a quick step back as something shot passed her, blowing her hair slightly as they disturbed the air. She watched as whatever it was flew into the bushes across the road, only to see another dart at her again, this time catching her by the waist, whisking her off into the trees.

Kakashi tensed up as the two didn't show themselves again. The two boys ahead of him turned and looked at him, worry on their faces, their concern for their teammate clear in their eyes. The Jounin pointed back in the direction of the village. "You two go back to the village and tell the Hokage what happened and tell her to send back up. I'll go after Kaede. And be sure not to slack on the way." He added, giving them a serious look and the two nodded before heading off. He watched them go before he took off in the direction the two kidnappers had headed, racing among the tree limbs.

Meanwhile, Kaede was still being carried off, a strong arm wrapped tightly around her small figure. She struggled in the hold, but found it useless as they continued off along the trees, staying silent. They zigzagged between the trunks and the limbs and soon came across a wide opening in the forest. They took a giant leap over it, flying towards the tress on the other side. A faint noise passed Kaede's ears and she looked off to the side before the other ninja in front of her was suddenly knocked down from the sky.

His partner watched as the other fell and looked off from where the force had come from, only to be blown back as well. His grip on Kaede loosened and she moved out of his hold. She watched as the bodies fell limply to the ground, rustling the leaves as they fell into the brush. Kaede managed to land rather softly, but still fell backwards to the ground. Her green eyes searched around for whoever who had taken care of her kidnappers, figuring it was her father, those green orbs looking frantically for the spiky haired ninja.

She didn't see him, but someone else caught her eye. He stood away from her, near the center of the clearing, his back turned. He didn't even have to turn and Kaede could tell who it was. She would always be able to tell. It was him… Kaede glared at him angrily as her hate started to boil once again, balling her little hands into fists. Her control started to slip as her eyes burned with her compressed anger, ready to burst from where it was kept. She couldn't help herself. "Sasuke!" the little girl growled, remaining where she had landed. "Why are you here?"

"Saving your life." He stayed turned away from her and she knew better than to believe that. Kaede gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists tighter. No matter what she did, she couldn't seal her anger back away; it had built up too much. And of course it had; she had held it in for so long...

"I don't want to be saved by the likes of you!" the young Hatake replied gruffly. "You're nothing but a traitor! You've turned just like your brother! You've practically become the one you've swore to kill!" Though she knew she shouldn't have said what she was... she couldn't hold it anymore; she didn't care. "You're no better than Itachi!"

Sasuke seemed to tense at that last comment, turning, his eyes shining with his undying revenge. He glared down at Kaede and slowly started to approach the young girl. She moved quickly to her feet, returning his glare, her green eyes verses his red ones. His Sharingan was activated, his eyes crimson like the blood the Uchiha sought to spill. Kaede didn't know what he planned to do, but she hadn't planned on running. She could see the anger and hatred that burned in his eyes. "Don't you ever say that again," he breathed. "Don't you ever compare me to him again. You know nothing."

Kaede gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists tighter. "Yeah… I just know that you turned on us and hurt a number of people to get what you want," the young Hatake replied back. "Sounds rather similar in scenario, if you ask me." Kaede had started to shake from a mixture of emotions as the two stared at one another, each reading one's eyes. He could easily see her inner feelings; he had already known about them and how she despised him. He tilted his head down a bit, his hair shadowing his eyes more than they already had, those red orbs seeming to gleam in the shade. "Why do you continue to push me like that? What is the point?"

"I'm speaking for the people you hurt with you actions!" she answered, going semi-rigid at the sparkle in his gaze. She didn't like that feeling that hung in the air; it smelled funny, but at the same time, so familiar. "Like you?" the Uchiha shot back at her, tilting his head now to the side, a taunting smirk on his face. Kaede's eyes widened slightly at that last jab before her features were again twisted in her anger. Sasuke bore his teeth in a crooked smile. "You're just as selfish as I am. You and I both know it."

The Hatake's eyes sparked, that glisten of her hold snapping as she burst forward. "Shut up! I am nothing like you!" She ran at full speed at him, leapt and spun her foot around at him. He grabbed her ankle and swung her around before throwing her. Kaede flipped in the air and landed with a skid, her eyes completely focused on the boy. She had engaged him and she knew there was no way he would take her easy. Brushing that aside though, she moved at him again, her anger fueling her more than her common sense.

He deflected most of what she threw at him, knocking her back twice as hard with half the effort. Sasuke now kicked Kaede back, causing the girl to land and tumble a ways before stopping. Kaede was becoming tired rapidly and found her anger wearing off the more she was tossed around. She looked up at him, seeing as he hadn't even broken a sweat. A heavy weight fell in her chest, as her doubt on her ability began to overcome her.

Sasuke was done playing around and his patience was wearing thin. He peered down at her. "You think you hurt, but you don't know what it's like. Kakashi thought he knew what pain really was, too." Kaede's eyes widened as Sasuke sneered down at her coldly, she couldn't bring herself to move from where she had landed from Sasuke's kick as the boy she hated for taking her father's attention from her started to form Chidori, the one technique she still had yet to complete, her father's gift to her. "I swore to hurt him once. It was mainly said in anger, but it seems he was the one lying to me. I'll hurt him now by taking his only child away with the technique HE created." Tears started to form in Kaede's wide green eyes, she didn't want to die and she definitely didn't want to die just to cause Kakashi grief. She couldn't fight Sasuke though. There was nothing she could do. The crackle of the Chidori was getting louder. Sasuke hadn't moved yet, but she could hear the bird-like chirping that the technique was named after and she closed her eyes ready for the pain she knew she was going to feel. _'I'm sorry daddy.'_ A memory slid into place within her mind; it was something her father had mentioned when he started her training.

_"Without moving the technique only makes the sound of chakra gathered in one spot." Kaede looked up at her dad taking in everything he was telling her, it was surprising though because during such talks at the academy be it from Iruka-sensei or someone else she usually ended up dropping off to sleep within minutes. "The name comes from the noise made when the user is in motion, because it sounds like..." The little white haired girl's hand shot up and she quickly completed his sentence. "Like a thousand birds all at once, right?" Kakashi smiled and placed a hand on her head. "That's right."_

Her eyes snapped open. If that was the case, where was the chirping coming from? She got her answer soon enough. As Sasuke suddenly shot forward, something rushed past her, making the little girl gasp in surprise as Kakashi hit the ground in front of her, throwing himself towards his former student. If she could see the look in her father's eyes, they were hard and cold, no mercy or pity showing. A look of surprise crossed Sasuke's face before he continued with his attack. Both ninja's Chidori meet with a shriek and shatter almost like glass. Kaede placed both hands over her ears and gave a startled cry. The noise was both piercing and deafening, but neither Kakashi nor Sasuke were going to back down as they glared at one, another trying to push through the other's attack. "You can't...beat me! Hatake Kakashi!" The Jounin's glare didn't waver as he held Sasuke's Sharingan eyes with his own dual ones. "I don't plan on beating you Uchiha Sasuke. I plan on killing you!"

Sasuke grit his teeth at the pain rushing up his arm and he was sure Kakashi was feeling the same pains. He cared little though as he reached behind him with his free hand and grabbed the hilt of Kusanagi, pulling the sword free, twisting it around before driving it downwards. Kaede felt her throat tighten on a scream as she watched as Sasuke drove his sword into Kakashi's midsection pushing it through until cut all the way through his vest, the mesh shirt she knew he wore, flesh, muscle and organs before emerging out of his back. The only noise that escaped Kakashi was a almost inaudible wet cough of pain. A look of surprise spread on his face while Sasuke grinned coldly pushing forward with his Chidori. Kakshi could feel the cold blade inside him, cutting him, but he couldn't fail Kaede. Her life was in his hands.

Kakashi narrowed his gaze and pushed back with his own Chidori, the noise splintering before taking its high pitch. As the two different chakras fought one another for dominance, he held his other hand out drawing the rest of his chakra into it. Sasuke growled twisting his sword and pushing it into Kakashi further at a upwards angle. The pain was indescribable and it showed in Kakashi's eyes, but it didn't stop him from molding his chakra into his free hand forming Rasengan. The orb of spirling chakra made Sasuke suddenly tear his sword from Kakashi's body, leaving a clean trail of blood across the grass as he flicked it back, then swung it in widen aiming for the Jounin's shoulder and neck.

Sagging slightly Kakashi used the drop to pull his Chidori away feeling the other's tear along the back of his shoulder. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Kaede, her eyes wide and unblinking, as she watched the scene unravel before her. It was so like her nightmare and in one crystal clear moment she knew she was about to loose her father. Her throat loosened, her stomach tightened and breathing became impossible as the tears started to fall. Kaede's scream seemed to explode from her throat higher and louder then the two Chidori. It was a scream of someone deathly afraid, someone utterly desperate for what was happening to not be real. But the younger Hatake knew it was real and she couldn't help but watch as her father threw his hand forward, hitting Sasuke's body with Rasengan. At the same time, Kusanagi's deadly blade caught the light, making it's already red blade glint with the promise of death before it was buried through Kakashi's back, behind a shoulder, re-emerging from his chest.

Everything just seemed to stop, then. Sasuke went through a couple of trees before hitting the ground and sliding a few meters. He didn't move after he came to a stop, but he was alive, the raise and fall of his chest evidence enough of that. Shakily, Kaede's eyes slowly turned to Kakashi's form, laying on the ground where he had fallen, the blade still through his body. Was he breathing? Panic suddenly surged up in Kaede and she scrambled to her feet, stumbling and falling as she ran. The only thing she wanted to do was get to her father and see if he was alive, all the while praying this was a dream and she'd wake up with Kakashi curled up beside her bed like he had been just this morning.

He'd hug her and tell her everything was alright then. But this wasn't a dream and she wasn't going to wake up and he wasn't going to tell her everything was alright because it wasn't alright.

She basically collapsed beside Kakashi, ignoring the blood now soaking into her pants. Her dad's blood. She was shaking so violently she didn't know if she'd ever be able to stop. "Dad?" Kaede couldn't understand how badly she was shaking, but her voice was even if only a little softer then usual. "Dad?" She sniffed when there was no answer. It didn't even look as if he was breathing and her chest tightened painfully. "Dad, answer me. Kudasai."

A wet cough made her jump in fright and she watched in almost fascination as Kakashi slowly rose his hand to his face, pulling his mask down before he coughed up blood. Letting his hand drop limply to the ground again, Kakashi opened his eyes carefully, as if the movement alone was painful. The two Hatake stared at one another for a silent moment and Kaede didn't like how pale her dad was looking. Sure, he was a pale guy to begin with, but this type of pale was the kind you saw when someone was deathly sick or, in Kakashi's case, loosing too much blood. "Dad?"

"Get..." He coughed again with a wince before trying to speak again. "Get this thing...out of me...Kaede..." Her eyes widened, turning to look at the sword hilt then back at her dad. "Nani?" He gave her a half lidded look and she knew he was serious. Kaede felt sick more so when she reached out and took a hold of the hilt of Kusanagi and pulled, driving a broken noise from Kakashi's throat before he slumped again. "Dad!" Kaede sat back and shook her head, trying not to start crying again. "I...I can't do it dad." Kakashi's features slowly softened again and he opened his eyes, looking up at Kaede. He hated seeing her upset, more when she was crying and greatest when it was his fault that she was doing so. "Kaede. I need you to get it out..." Talking too much made already difficult breathing even more difficult. "Trust me..." Taking a moment to calm herself as much as she could, Kaede nodded. "Good girl. Now get behind me... and brace yourself so you can..." He stopped for a few moments, knowing Kaede was watching him as he struggled to catch his breath and not pass out. "…So you can pull it out in one go…"

Kaede sniffed and nodded before getting up and doing as he said by placing her hand against his shoulder, grabbing the hilt with her other hand, and pulling it until the blade slipped and slid out of Kakashi's body like a sheath. Kakashi winced and brought up more blood as he took short gasps of air. Kaede stared at the bloody blade tears coming to her eyes again, though she didn't want to cry because she was upset or anything, but because she was angry, so angry at Sasuke. That was twice he tried to take her dad from her and he might succeed at this rate. Standing, Kaede headed in a daze over to where Sasuke had landed, the end of the sword dragging on the ground behind her. if she stopped him here, he wouldn't be able to do it again, right?

Kakashi twisted his head up so he could see where Kaede was going. He gave her a worried look before swallowing the metallic taste in his throat and calling out the best he could as she stood beside Sasuke, raising Kusanagi. "Chibi! Come back here...onegai." He managed to raise his head slightly. He knew she wasn't ready to become a killer, not yet, and if she did what she wanted to do to Sasuke, Kakashi knew it would affect her badly later.

It took too much to keep his head raised, but he had to know that Kaede was alright. Even though he was dying, his sole thoughts were on her well being. Kaede stared down at Sasuke's back. He would definitely be feeling that Resengan when he woke up. She felt cold staring at the one person she decided she hated. "I'm not like you." She turned to the side and stabbed the sword down in the ground before glaring once more at Sasuke. "I hate you." Kaede turned away and walked back to her dad, noticing the weak smile he gave her before he laid his head back down on the ground, ignoring the puddle of blood he was laying in. Without saying anything, Kaede found her discarded pack and pulled out some field bandage. They weren't equipped for major injuries like Kakashi's but it would have to do for now.

Carefully, she managed to get Kakashi's vest open pulling his shirt up to see what the damage was. She pulled her hands away at the sight and the elder Hatake sighed, giving her a sleepy look. "Bad?"

"Yeah."

There was blood everywhere soaking his clothes and the ground he laid on and more of it was coming from the two wounds that Sasuke had caused. It was also on her hands and Kaede knew that she'd never be able to get that image out of her head. Kakashi watched her as his eyes drooped, almost closing, before a small hand shook his shoulder. He looked up at Kaede, the little Hatake giving him a heartbroken look. His eyes, usually so full of life, stared up at her, their light dulled; even the vibrant red of his Sharigan was a few shades darker. "Don't die." He blinked slowly, dragging in a long breath as he did so. Kaede shook her head and pushed her makeshift padding again the wound of Kakashi's chest, making the Jounin gasp in pain. She hated to see her dad this way but at least it kept his eyes open. If he stayed awake, he couldn't die on her, or that's what she wanted to hope for. There was a odd silence between them as Kaede tried to stop the bleeding, but everything she seemed to use soon grew heavy and red with the warm liquid. "Kaede."

"Hai, dad?"

"Go to the main path...your teammates...they should have gotten help by now."

He fell silent and Kaede stared at him as dull eyes struggled to stay open. She didn't want to leave, fearing if she did, her dad would die on her, but she also didn't want help to miss them and him ending up dying because she didn't do as he told her. "Alright. Don't you die on me. Got it?" Kakashi slight cough, the closest he was going to get to a laugh. "Good girl." She went to leave before stopping and giving Kakashi a kiss on the cheek. Kaede pulled his mask up, knowing he was giving her a thankful smile. She then left him there. Kaede was on the verge of tears again as she ran back towards the road, hoping that those other two had done as her father had said and not lagged on the way.

Reaching the road, Kaede looked around wildly before hearing her name called out by a woman. Kaede turned towards the noise, her heart almost stopping when she spotted Sakura, her hand raised in the air to wave in greeting before she managed to take in the bloody and distraught looking girl. Sakura's eyes widened as she took in the little girl and the fact that her former sensei was nowhere in sight. "Oh my gosh… Naruto! Kiba! Hurry! I found them!" The rose-haired girl ran over to Kaede, bobbing down slightly so they were face to face and she grabbed the younger Hatake by the shoulder. "Kaede! What happened? Where's Kakashi-sensei? Are you alright?" Tears started to run down her face, but Kaede managed to nod a affirmative for the last question. She was alright physically, but she'd at least have some scratches and bruises from being kicked around. "Dad's hurt...he's hurt bad, Sakura-san." It didn't take long for Naruto and Kiba to catch up to the two girls and the blonde looked as shocked as Sakura had, maybe more so, at the sight of the little girl. Unlike Sakura though, who was trying to make Kaede tell her what happened, Naruto butted in and gave her a wide blue eyed look. "Where is he Kaede-chan?"

That was what Kaede wanted to hear and she grabbed the wrist of Naruto's top, pulling him along as they hurried through the trees again. Naruto stared at the blood on her hands, and now his top, but he didn't say anything about it. He just ran faster to keep up while Kiba and Akamaru gave chase, followed closely by Sakura. She stopped at the edge of the clearing as Naruto suddenly broke away from Kaede, almost landing on Kakashi as he threw himself on the ground beside the Jounin, giving him a hard shake while searching for a pulse in the side of his neck.

Akamaru gave a whimper and sunk down onto his belly beside Kaede, who just stared straight ahead at her dad and Naruto, who was trying to get a response from the unmoving ninja. A moment later, Sakura slowly walked past Kaede, both hands up near her mouth, her fingers laced almost like she was praying before Naruto's head snapped around and he growled at her rather viciously. "Damnit Sakura! You're the medic, get over here!"

She looked as if she had been slapped by the blonde, but she hurried over to them regardless. A hand on Kaede's shoulder made her flinch violently and she dragged her eyes away from the scene in front of them to look up at Kiba, who gave her a lopsided smirk. "It'll be alright. Sakura-chan is really good at that medic stuff." Kaede nodded thoughtlessly as she turned back to her dad. Sakura looked as if she was having trouble and Naruto was making it worse by having a slight panic attack of his own. The pink-haired girl suddenly punched Naruto, then sobbed before calling out to Kiba. "We need to get him back to the village. Think you and Naruto can carry him on a stretcher?"

The dog-nin nodded. "Piece of cake. Akamaru, you carry Kaede-chan." The large white dog gave a booming bark and Kaede blinked, giving Kiba a vexed look as he picked her up and placed her on Akamaru's back, though she didn't bother moving as the three older ninjas worked Kakashi's unmoving form onto a stretcher that Sakura had summoned from a scroll. The two boys headed for the main road again as Sakura stopped and looked at the broken trees. She wasn't sure, but she wanted to see if the person who attacked Kakashi was still there, seeing as that's where most of the damage to the area was. Catching Kaede's eye though, she changed her mind and hurried to catch up with Akamaru as he gave chase after his companion and Naruto. They traveled at a run, closing the distance they had traveled from the village rather quickly. "Who did it, Kaede-chan?"

The little Hatake looked over at Sakura, but didn't say anything. If she did, they might stop and try to go back and see if he was still there and if they did that her dad would die. Kaede looked over to the two boys ahead of them. "Ask dad."

Sakura almost looked as if she was going to argue with Kaede, but she stopped herself. It wasn't really that important at the moment anyway. Getting Kakashi back to the village alive was and she could always find out later when he was recovering. She gave his prone form a skeptical look. If there was a later.

They made it to the village in almost record time and Tsunade was waiting for them at the hospital, though by Naruto's cursing and yelling it was difficult for news that one of her best ninjas was bleeding to death and needed her expertise. Her orders were yelled as the two boys arrived and it was basically chaos in Kaede's opinion. Tsunade even ended up physically throwing Naruto out into the waiting room as he attempted to get in to see if his sensei was alright. Both Kiba and Akamaru had been chased out of the hospital, mainly because when someone grabbed Kaede to see if she was alright, Akamaru had swung around and chomped down on the medic's leg, refusing to let go. Almost as quick as it became chaos, it went silent and Kaede found herself sitting in the waiting room between Kiba and Naruto. Somehow the dog-nin managed to sneak back in with Akamaru, who had gone from sitting beside the Inuzuka to placing his head on Kaede's lap.

She gave him a light smile, placing a small hand on top of his head. "Kaede-chan...Um, do you know who did that to Kakashi-sensei?" She didn't want to answer Naruto's question, but at the same time wanted to scream out her hate for that person. "Uchiha Sasuke."

It felt as if the room had dropped in temperature. It was so silent. She hadn't meant to say that name, especially because it made her feel sick in the stomach whenever she did.

After a moment, Kaede rose her head and looked at Naruto. Her breath caught in her chest at the narrowed, blood red eyes staring at a point on the floor. She had heard about Kyuubi showing through on Naruto from her dad once when he had been fixing up some sealing tags and she had asked what they were, then who they were for. Being so close to such a intense chakra which she could feel raising in Naruto, was, for lack of a better word, frightening. Even the two Inuzuka thought so.

While Kiba looked stunned and surprised, Akamaru had retreated back on the other side of his companion with a low whimper, almost like he was telling Kiba to back off as well. Instead, the teenager said nothing and didn't dare move.

Kaede turned to Kiba briefly before turning back to Naruto and carefully, worried that she might cause something bad to happen, she reached out and closed her fingers around the material of his shirt tugging on it so the elder knew she wanted his attention. Those vicious eyes turned to her and though it was scary there was a odd...understanding between her and Naruto. His features softened and he took a few calming breaths, his eyes sliding closed as he did so. When they reopened, they were back to their normal bright blue. "He'll be okay, right." It was partly a question from Naruto, partly a comment, but Kaede nodded up at the blonde, who gave her a bright grin. "Oi, it's Kakashi-sensei. It'll take more then that to put him down." That smile shook at little at the edges, and though she noticed it, Kaede smiled back at him and nodded again. "Right." They both needed that reassurance, no matter how little.

-----

At some point, Kiba and Akamaru had needed to leave. It had been two hours and still no one had come to tell them what was going on with Kakashi. Naruto started to pace at about the third hour, a few minutes before Iruka arrived, and the blonde basically threw himself into the other's arms, sobbing as he tried to tell the teacher what had happened to Kakashi. It quickly sent Kaede over the edge and she tried to keep the noise inside but a choke and bitten down cry broke through.

"Oh, Kaede-chan." Iruka somehow managed to shift Naruto around enough before pulling Kaede into a tight hug as the little girl sobbed, then broke down. She hadn't cried like this since she was younger and broke a bone in her hand doing something she really shouldn't have been doing. Iruka had been the first one to hold her while she cried and had a medic at the school check her hand over before her dad turned up to comfort her. It had been painful and she had cried because of it then, but now… Now, it was painful like nothing she had ever felt before. She was frightened and didn't know how to make it stop. If her dad died, she didn't know how she'd survive feeling such agony inside her.

By the time she managed to stop crying, Kaede was exhausted. The most she could manage was shaky gulps of air. Her face was wet and sticky from tears and sweat, which didn't feel all that pleasant. For the whole time, Iruka had sat on the floor of the waiting room, just holding her without complaining or trying to make her stop. Naruto had managed to calm down some and the scarred ninja had sent him off to wash his face and get a drink, which the boy had done obediently. "Kaede-chan?"

"D-don't say he'll b-be fine...b-because I'm s-sick of h-hearing it from e-everyone."

Iruka smiled softly as he tilted his head to the side, giving her a sympathetic look. "I wasn't going to. I was going to ask if you were alright and if I could get you anything." Kaede felt a little bad about that and she sniffed, wiping her face with her sleeves. "Gomen nasai I...Iruka-sensei."

"You don't need to be sorry for anything Kaede-chan."

Kaede looked up at Iruka and her bottom lip trembled. "I got the front of your vest wet." Iruka gave a little laugh and looked down at the wet spot on his vest where Kaede had cried. "It'll survive. I'm sure it's had worse then tears before." The little Hatake's eyes welled up with tears and she slumped back against Iruka's chest, crying again as Naruto sheepishly headed over to them from where he had been pacing the room, his hands in his pockets. "Is she alright?" The 'dolphin' smiled gently at Naruto and nodded. "She'll be fine. Could you get her something to drink Naruto-kun? Kudasai."

"Sure." He turned away heading for the vending machine on the other side of the room. Sure, Iruka would have preferred he got her water, but the sugar in a soft drink would probably do her good, seeing as Kaede hadn't, surprisingly, eaten yet. It was one of those many signs to know when something was wrong with the little Hatake. Her crying died down quicker then before, mainly due to exhaustion this time and she drank about half of the drink she was given, not paying much attention to it. Kakashi had to be alright. He just had to be; it's all that kept running through her head. He had to be alright.

-----

Six hours and still no one had told them what was going on. Iruka had moved to lean against the wall cross-legged so Kaede could sleep curled up against him, while Naruto's soft snoring against his shoulder made the teacher shake his head slightly. He tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to get a little rest of his own as he was used as a pillow by the two younger ninja. "Iruka-sensei?" Doe colored eyes snapped open in surprise and Iruka looked up at Sakura, who looked down at the trio worriedly. "Please don't wake them up." Iruka relaxed a little so it didn't wake either Kaede or Naruto and Sakura sat down on the floor with them, her feet tucked up to her side. She was silent staring at her skirt, as if she was trying to think of something to talk about. "You can tell me, Sakura-chan."

The pink-haired girl rubbed her eyes tiredly with the heels of her hands. "Kakashi-sensei...Tsunade-sensei is still trying to save him. She tried to heal him herself, but there's too many major organs damaged..." She trailed off, her eyes staring at Kaede's sleeping form almost pitifully. Iruka waited silently, knowing she had something else she must have wanted to say or tell him. "He...he stopped breathing not long after we brought him in. The Hokage managed to get him breathing again and they started blood transfusions...He stopped breathing again about a hour ago and she managed to save him again but… But it took longer this time, and she's not sure if she can bring him back if it happens again." Subconsciously, Iruka tightened his hold a little on Kaede's prone form. That wasn't good news; not good at all. If he stopped breathing, that could be it. Kaede would lose her father.

"I'm sure Hokage-sama will do the best she can for him."

Sakura looked up at Iruka with a worried expression on her face. He had said that so emotionlessly, almost as if he wasn't thinking what his mouth had said. He probably wasn't. Kakashi and him may have had their disagreements and the pervert might have forced the Chuunin to raise his hackles over issues, many involving Naruto, one or two involving Kaede, but they still had things in common and both could get along with one another, so the younger ninja considered them friends and Kakashi had never seemed to disagree with that title.

He didn't want to see his friend die.

"You should send Naruto home." Sakura looked a little ashamed for saying so and Iruka shook his head. "He'll want to stay." She nodded and didn't say anything for a few minutes until the silence finally got to her. "Who...do you think did that to Kakashi-sensei?" A low growl made the pink haired girl jump slightly and both herself and Iruka gave Naruto a curious look as he sat up and rubbed both his eyes clear. "Sasuke-teme did it to him. He's the one who's almost killed Kakashi-sensei." For a moment, Sakura looked utterly heartbroken. "But..."

"No buts damnit! He did it; Kaede-chan said so and she was there! She saw what that bastard did to our sensei and I bet he didn't even care!"

Kaede frowned in her sleep and curled in towards Iruka's chest, making the teacher adjust his hold on her and hush Naruto quickly. "I know you're angry, but not so loud Naruto." The blonde gave Kaede a sheepish look and nodded at his former teacher, his features softening again, though there was a slight glint of anger still showing behind his blue eyes. Sakura was still silent, unable to say anything about it. She couldn't say Sasuke wouldn't do that, even if part of her wanted to, but he could and if Kaede saw it, then he had. Another part of her just couldn't believe that she had been smitten over that guy. For the girl with the rose-colored hair, it was all a little confusing, if not overwhelming. Even her inner Sakura wasn't sure what to say, so remained silent and she couldn't even find enough ground to go off at Naruto for speaking to her like that. "Please keep me informed if you hear anything." Sakura stood up in a daze. "I was told to get some rest. I'll be at home." She walked away, leaving the room and building by automatic response and she probably would walk all the way home in a similar fashion, too.

Iruka idly brushed Kaede's hair from her face, smirking when it fell back into its original spot. "Her hair is as stubborn as his." Naruto gave his former teacher a look and nodded. "She's a lot like him."

"He'll fight until the end."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I know. He wouldn't be Kakashi-sensei if he didn't fight."

They fell silent again and that's how the night mostly remained. Oddly Kaede remained asleep for it and Naruto even dozed off a few times; he even allowed Iruka to fall asleep using his shoulder as a pillow. It was uncomfortable and no one told them anything about Kakashi, he could have been dead and they would still be waiting to hear about it.

-----

At sometime around four am Iruka was awoken by someone clearing their throat directly in front of them. He looked up at Tsunade, who smiled gently at the teacher; Naruto's head on his shoulder and Kaede curled up against his chest. "You look good with children Iruka-sensei." He smiled and nodded a little at the compliment before his features went sober again at how tired Tsunade looked, almost as if she had been crying for a good hour or so before coming out. He was a little unsure if he should ask. He was frightened; yes, even him, a ninja that could face down any child or problems they had or could look down any ninja that brought in late mission reports when he was on duty; he was scared.

Iruka swallowed heavily before asking. "Is Kakashi-sensei...alright?" Well, of course he wasn't alright, but he wasn't sure what else to say. Asking if he was alive just didn't sound right. "He's alive, that I know for sure. Is he alright? I doubt." That didn't sound...well, it didn't sound good for starters and Iruka just seemed to stare up at Tsunade, blinking every now and then before the woman rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "That's didn't make very much sense did it? Gomen, it's just...he's a stubborn bastard, even when he's dying."

The 'dolphin' smiled gently at that, now that sounded like the Kakashi he knew. "We managed to heal the damaged organs and most of the damaged muscle tissue. Now, the rest of the healing is up to his own body. He used quiet a bit of chakra, but it was still at a low, yet safe, level for someone like him. The blood loss is the worry." Iruka listened carefully as Tsunade spoke and sat beside him in one of the chairs. "I honestly don't know how he survived from the amount of blood he lost, but then the human body is an amazing thing at times." Iruka nodded in agreement, it was indeed an amazing thing. "I assume Sakura-chan mentioned his...moments out of the world of the living?"

"Hai, she mentioned it when Kaede-chan was asleep."

Tsunade nodded this time glad that the pink-haired girl had used digression in that department. "We did lose him; more than once, too. I thought I couldn't get him back last time and he could still do it even if he is stable at the moment. Thank kami he refuses to give up, be it for himself or for Kaede-chan." It seemed as if she was leaving something out, on purpose as well, and Iruka tilted his head slightly looking at the pale-haired woman, who smirked and gave a light chuckle. "There's no keeping anything from you, now is there Iruka-sensei?"

He gave her a slight smile and shook his head, otherwise his features didn't change, and Tsunade sighed before running a hand over her face. "He's in a coma. He has a respirator breathing with him incase he stops again." The two ninja stared at one another, it was Iruka who looked away first to look down at Kaede, who whimpered mournfully in her sleep, giving a slight cry as she clawed at his vest before pulling herself closer to him. She wanted her father, Iruka knew that. Even in her sleep Kaede knew it wasn't her father holding her. Iruka looked at Naruto when he heard a little sniff from the boy; he hadn't even noticed that the blonde had woken. In a different situation, he would have perhaps congratulated the younger ninja on his stealth. "Obaachan, does that mean that Kakashi-sensei isn't going to get better?" She actually ignored the fact that Naruto had called her grandma as the boy removed himself from Iruka and Tsunade pulled him up into a hug. "Iie, it just means it's going to take him awhile longer to get better. I wouldn't let Kakashi go, even if he wanted to without a long and tiring fight."

Naruto sniffed and managed a tiny half laugh. "He'd fight you right back, too." Tsunade smiled and ran her fingers through Naruto's hair affectionately. "That's right, because he's a stubborn son-of-a-bitch." For a moment, just one little moment, they were relaxed. Making sure no one was about to mentally or emotionally snap, Iruka slumped against the wall. He really needed to stretch his legs, but he didn't dare move incase Kaede woke up.

It didn't matter though.

Kaede woke with a startled scream, her green eyes going as wide as they could at the sound of the alarm. Tsunade basically dropped Naruto on the floor before running towards the doors as a medic appeared, calling for her. "Hokage-sama! It's Kakashi-sensei!" Iruka's hold on Kaede went limp and the little girl ran. As the Chuunin snapped out of his stupor and tried to grab her. He just missed and Naruto scrambled after her instead. "Dad!" The older ninja managed to grab Kaede around the waist and she immediately tried to fight herself free of his hold around her waist. She had to get to her dad and make sure he was alright. "I...I need...Dad!"

Both ninja fell back onto the ground and Naruto tightened his hold, whispering into her ear while her hair tickled his face. "If you go in there, they won't be able to help Kakashi-sensei. They'll be worried about you getting in their way. Just relax, onegai. For your dad." Kaede went boneless, though part of her still wondered when had Naruto gotten that mature streak. She laid there, just staring at the white floor, still remembering the color of her dad's blood. It had been red like the Sharigan he possessed; like the ones that had stared down at her with such hate and spite. It was a color she would never forget. The red drops that fell from the stretcher to the white floor had been something that was both horribly beautiful and yet so terrifying. It was cleaned away hours ago, but her mind continued to play it; that drop of red and its gentle splash that never reached her ears. She could still hear the wet splash as that sword had been pulled from his body even longer ago. Every detail was carved into her mind and she knew she'd never forget it; she could never forget it and she could never forgive Sasuke for being the cause of the pain her father was in and the pain cutting like a kunai into her heart.

"I hope..."

Naruto rose his head, giving Kaede a cautious look. He didn't like how cold and closed her eyes, which were usually so bright and friendly, had gone. It was something he had seen in hardened ninja before. He had seen it in Kakashi's eyes when he let his 'mask' slip and once, the fox thought he had seen it in Iruka's eyes. It frightened him seeing it in Kaede's though. It was almost a hopeless look, a hateful look.

"I hope that...I hope that Sasuke dies, slowly and painfully...I hope he never gets to kill his brother and...and I hope..."

Kaede sobbed painfully, and twisted in Naruto's hold so her forehead was resting on the cold white floor. Her tears made soft, almost impossible to hear, splashes as she cried, her eyes screwed closed tightly and her jaw was tense as she continued to cry in silence. Iruka tried to move, but it was at that point that one of his legs decided to crap up and he winced as he sat down on one of the chairs, trying to rub life back into the limb. Naruto was silent listening to Kaede's crying emotionlessly. Inside, he wanted to yell and scream, he wanted to hit something until his knuckles bled and he was sure Kaede was feeling much the same way. They both were too stubborn to do so.

"You can curse him all you like Kaede-chan. You can yell and scream until your throat hurts and your voice breaks if you want. Hate him if you must, but don't let it change you." Naruto's voice went hard then. "Don't become like him, living only for revenge."

Her eyes opened wide and it was almost like she was hearing things in static. 'You're just as selfish as I am...' Kaede could feel the tears welling up again as she heard Sasuke's voice in her mind. "I'm nothing like him." She watched her tears drip onto the small wet puddle, forming from her tears. 'You and I both know it.' She felt numb, as if all that hate that had built up inside her had just bled away with her tears and she rose her head slightly, staring down at the distorted light playing across the tears on the white floor. "I'll never be like him..." A shaky smile crossed her face and she looked up at Naruto who gently returned his own. "Come on, the floor is cold." Naruto helped Kaede up and wrapped a brotherly arm around the younger ninja, leading her to the chair beside Iruka before sitting beside her. it was another hour before Tsunade returned to see them and she smiled shortly. "He's stable again. Kaede-chan, you should be resting."

The little Hatake shook her head. "I want to see dad." Tsunade sighed heavily, she expected that was what the little girl would want and honestly, Tsunade didn't have the heart to tell her no. "Alright, come on."

"I want to see him, too." She shook her head at Naruto. "Just Kaede for now." The little girl wanted to see her dad, that was a sure thing, but she was also afraid of doing it on her own. "Let him come in, kudasai."

Tsunade stared down at Kaede and for a moment the little Hatake thought the older woman was going to say no. "If that's what you want. Come on, Naruto. You're not going to start too, are you Iruka-sensei?" The 'dolphin' shook his head and rose his hands. "Iie, I can wait until Kakashi's allowed to have visitors. Naruto can say hello for me." He tilted his head slightly and Naruto nodded in agreement before the two younger ninja followed Tsunade into the wards. The hall was lit by florescent lights every few meters and there were doors down both sides. The doors were closed and the rooms dark except for one at the opposite end of the hall. It felt like it took forever to just walk the twenty meters or so to her father's room. She wanted to just collapse onto the floor and cry until she couldn't form tears anymore. It was almost too much seeing Kakashi so lifeless looking. He had always been pale and he had been paler when they had brought him in, but now he was sickly pale, as if all his blood had been bled out of him. His eyes were closed and his entire body relaxed in it's unconscious state and the breathing apparatus covered most of his lower face. Even with his mask absent he was still hidden.

She was faintly listening as Tsunade explained about the tube down his throat and how it was helping him breath. Static again, that's all she could hear. A hand on her shoulder made Kaede flinch and she looked up at Naruto, who swallowed heavily. She hated being the brave one. Slowly, Kaede moved away from the door and approached the bed her father was laying in. The blankets looked as if they were tucked around him too tightly and she pulled the side loose. "You always hate being restrained. You never told me why, though. Maybe when you're better you will." She stopped and stared at Kakashi's arm that had been left out from underneath the blankets and she followed the tubes up to two full bags sitting above and to the side of the bed.

One was replacing the blood Kakashi had lost, while the other was slowly replacing other lost fluids other then what had bled out of his wounds. Her attention went to the slow, lazy rise and fall of her father's chest and she pulled the blanket back a little further so she could see the bandages wrapped around his chest. There was blood at certain points where Kusanagi had pierced his body. "Is he in pain?"

"I doubt. We gave him some morphine and he's also unconscious, which helps any other existing pain. He'll probably feel like hell when he wakes up, though." Tsunade nodded at the questioning look Kaede gave her. "I'm sure he'll wake up. If not in a few hours, then a couple of days. If not the, I start kicking his bed until he does."

Kaede gave a sudden cough-laugh, almost crying before she managed to calm herself. "Hai, you do that and I'll kick his butt, alright." Tsunade placed a hand on the back of Kaede's head and nodded. "You bet. Between us both, we'll get him to wake up." Naruto had moved himself to the end of Kakashi's bed and idly nodded his head in agreement with the two girls, though he wasn't really listening to either of them. He had never...seen Kakashi in such a venerable state. Sure, there had been that time after his fight with Zabuza, where Kakashi had passed out from using too much chakra, but even then he had been awake and giving orders like it wasn't a problem. There had probably been a few other times he knew of, but Naruto's mind refused to function at the moment. "I'm not going to leave. Not until he wakes up and tells me to himself." Naruto looked at Kaede. She meant it, too. He knew it and Tsunade knew it. Kaede was a Hatake, after all.

Gently, the little Hatake ran her fingers over her father's hand, following the line of bones to his fingers before pushing her own between his, her other hand sliding underneath his palm. He felt cold, like glass and his skin was soft like silk. It was a strange and unusual combination in regards to her father, but maybe it was just what her tired mind was telling her. Kaede laid her head down on the side of the bed, her usually wide green eyes sliding shut. "Daddy..." Tsunade looked down at the sleeping girl and rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand before lifting Kaede's slight form up. "Don't move her. She said she was going to stay until Kakashi-sensei woke up." Tsunade gave Naruto a slight look before she motioned to the blankets. Naruto pulled them to the side, letting Tsunade slide Kaede in beside her father. The little Hatake whined before snuggling up beside Kakashi, her head resting on his shoulder, Tsunade checked that she wouldn't fall out before pulling the safety bars up, just to make sure. "She can stay here. Hopefully, he won't feel the need to slip away on us at any time."

Rounding the bed, Tsunade carefully tilted Kakashi's right shoulder up. Like his chest, it was heavily wrapped. Though the Chidori only grazed him, it had ripped through his clothing and managed to tear the layers of flesh underneath. There wasn't much they could do for that damage as it wasn't deep enough to need stitching, but the four-inch long tear was going to scar once it healed.

Tsunade placed a hand on Kakashi's chest, brushing his hair back with her other hand. "You get better Kakashi, for Kaede, if for no one else." Naruto looked up at elder woman as she turned away from the two Hatake and smiled at him. "Come on, let's let them rest for awhile." Obediently, Naruto nodded and let Tsunade wrap an arm around his shoulders before leading him back out into the hall. Kaede sniffed and snuggled closer to her dad, pulling the blanket up under her chin. The machine sound soon faded to the edges of her hearing. All that mattered was that rhythmic thump near her ear coming from her father's heart. As long as that sound remained, she knew Kakashi would wake up soon.

He just had to.

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And that concluded Chapter 1 of Nightmare! Again, we hope you like it and hope you come by again for Chapter 2, which should be up as soon as possible. Please tell us what you think by leaving us a review! Thanks again for reading!


	2. Wake Up, Onegai

Disclaimer and Introduction - Part 2:

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by and joining us again for Nightmare!

This isn't much different than the first. Same stuff as last time peoples. Neither Kitsune, my writing partner, nor I own Naruto or any characters from the series used in this story. Again, though, Kaede belongs to me and again, same credit goes to Kit for a majority of the writing and same credit goes to me for the editing. This time, the ending part was also written by yours truly.

And now, without further to do, here is the second chapter of Nightmare. Enjoy!

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_"Oi, you're not asleep again, are you? Hatake Kakashi, you have got to be the laziest Jounin I've ever met." The boyish laugh that followed the girl's voice made Kakashi squeeze his eyes tight, still refusing to open them. "You forgot him being the youngest Jounin you've ever met, as well Rin-chan." A girlish laugh this time. "He's so cute when he screws his nose up like that while he's asleep." A loud, audible groan reached Kakashi's ears and his mind suddenly caught up with the words being said. "Rin?" He quickly opened his eyes and sat up, looking around for the two that were speaking, Kakashi slumped slightly when he realized no one was there. It was just him, sitting on the grass and the thick black clouds above, threatening to release the water they were carrying. He gave them a careless stare, then looked around frowning at how...silent it was. _

_Standing, Kakashi could see down into the village from the hill he was standing on; he knew this hill. Turning to the side, a sizeable stone caught his attention; the memorial stone. It was a familiar sight and he turned towards it. Though it had the names of many carved into its surface, it brought a sense of peace to the Leaf-Jounin. Even the rain that had started to fall and his footsteps were silent. It was almost as if any noise would cause this place to shatter like glass, or at least that was the feeling he got. The silence was, in a odd sense, deafening._

_As he went to call out, a noise stopped him and he looked towards the side of the stone, where a small form was standing. It was a little girl, dressed in all black, her white-hair hanging down across her brow, dripping with the water from the rain. Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise. Of course, he knew who that little girl was; it was his daughter. "Kaede-chan?" It didn't seem as if his voice was carrying or going any further then his own ears. Perhaps he only thought he could hear his own words in the heavy silence. No, it wasn't silent. Kaede's crying was making noise, but it still seemed as if she hadn't heard her father. Kakashi frowned, but headed over to her, a dreadful, painful feeling creeping up his spine with every step towards his little girl. "Kaede, what's wrong?" He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to reach out, but that feeling latching into his senses told him if he did, he would regret it. Slowly, unsurely, he rose a hand to touch Kaede's shoulder before the little Hatake gave a loud sob and spoke, making Kakashi's eyes widen in horror. "Nani?"_

_Kaede looked up at him then, sad, teary eyes holding his own stare like a vice. "I told you not to die on me, but you did. Why?! Why did you just give up like that? Didn't you care about me? Did I do something wrong? Why daddy? Why do I have to see your name on this?!" She pointed at the memorial stone and Kakashi felt his chest tighten as he looked at the freshly carved letters that spelt out his name. HATAKE KAKASHI. KIA._

_Kakashi couldn't breath. His chest hurt and he placed a hand over his heart as he stumbled away from the stone and Kaede as he heard her ask mournfully. "Didn't you love me?" He couldn't stay here. This was wrong. He wasn't dead; he just wasn't. He loved Kaede too much to just give up. He...he wasn't dead...was he?_

_He turned, ready to find out just what was going on before something, sharp and painful, sliced into his body. Kakashi's eyes widened as he took a shocked breath in and choked on the metallic liquid filling his throat. Dark eyes looked up at him sheepishly, a small smirk crossing Obito's face as he twisted the handle of the sword, cutting it deeper into Kakashi who gave a pained cry. "What's wrong Kakashi? Don't you want to stay with me? I thought we were friends. I gave you that eye after all." He twisted the blade again and Kakashi clamped his jaw before shaking his head. "Iie! Obito is dead! I'm not! I'm alive!"_

_He managed to hold a glare down at the shorter form who smirked coldly, something the real Obito could never do and had never done in such a heartless form. The voice that purred back at him wasn't his friend's either. "Aw. But Kakashi-sensei...you will be soon."_

_-----_

Kaede's eyes snapped open and she shoved herself backwards at the sound of the heart monitor's alarm, now screeching in the previously silent room. She could feel cold metal against her back and she grabbed onto it for support as her eyes rapidly flicked around the room before falling back onto her father. "Daddy?" She shrieked in fright as someone suddenly grabbed her from behind. She managed to catch sight of the heart monitor as its wildly moving lines suddenly went straight. Kaede looked up at Tsunade as she shoved a medic out of the way so she could get her hands onto Kakashi's prone form. "Damnit, you bastard! Don't you dare flat line on me!" The older woman's hands flew though a set of seals and she hit her palms down onto Kakashi's chest, sending a spark of electricity through his body. Kaede was shaking violently and she watched her father's back arch at the shock. Her eyes flicked over to the monitor as one of the lines gave a flick, then went dead again.

Tsunade started yelling at her medics and Kaede pushed herself up against the wall, her eyes focused on Kakashi, only moving to his monitor every now and then before fixing back on him. She slid down the wall and whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't die, daddy. Don't die, onegai." Kaede continued to whisper the words over and over until she wasn't even sure what she was saying anymore. Someone stepped up beside Tsunade and she took a syringe, stabbing it into Kakashi's chest, making Kaede flinch as she injected the adrenaline into the unconscious ninja. At the same time, both female ninja looked up at the monitor. Tsunade stared at it expectedly, while Kaede continued to whisper to herself, hoping to see the lines move, hoping that she would be able to hear his heart beat again. "Get me another! There's no way I'm loosing this stubborn bastard tonight!" Her medics hurried off to fetch another syringe and Kaede looked up at Tsunade and they stared at one another, almost as if the girl had been forgotten.

Perhaps, she had been at the time.

"Oh kami...Kaede-chan..." Tsunade looked ready to burst out crying before the medic returned and she took the needle, repeating the process over this time, seemingly gentler, her eyes landing on Kaede again as the little Hatake stared at the monitor, waiting on those lines to move. "Onegai...Onegai...Onegai..." Tsunade's face screwed up as she turned away from the little girl, tears making their way down the Sannin's cheeks and she hissed out between her teeth. "Damnit Kakashi. Don't do this in front of your little girl."

Beep.

Kaede's eyes widened until she thought they would pop out and Tsunade's head snapped up in surprise at that tiny little noise.

Beep. Beep.

The lines continued to move and Tsunade basically collapsed beside the bed with a near hysterical laugh, making a few of her medics look at one another worriedly. Kaede burst out crying, her whole body shaking with relief. She wanted to scream and shout and, on top of it all, she wanted to be sick. Could someone be so relieved that is made them ill? She wasn't sure, but she knew she felt like throwing up.

It took awhile for Tsunade to get her medics to leave her. Even her threats did little to make them leave, until she threatened to dock their pay. The Hokage leaned against the wall and chuckled as she looked over at Kaede. "Are you alright, sweetie?" "I wanna be sick." Tsunade laughed again, her cheeks streaked with tears and she nodded in agreement with the little Hatake. "That makes two of us." She sniffed and used a sleeve to start wiping those tears away. "I swear, he's only doing it for attention." Kaede gave a choked laugh and nodded. "Yeah."

They looked at one another again and Tsunade held her arms out, waiting until Kaede climbed into her hold before the older woman became a little too emotional again. She cried into the youngest Hatake's hair, while Kaede listened to the woman's heartbeat and the beep of her father's heart monitor.

-----

_Kakashi sat up with a gasp, followed by a yelp of surprise as he suddenly went underwater. Opening his eyes again, he realized he had been floating in the river and his sudden movement had shifted the buoyancy and he had gone under. Nothing too surprising. Re-surfacing, he heard a light chuckle right behind him. It was both familiar and impossible. "Don't you hate when that happens?" Kakashi tilted his head up as Konoha's Yellow Flash smiled down at him in amusement, his arms crossed lightly over his chest. The fourth's features softened after a moment and he held a hand out to Kakashi. "Come on, before you catch your death." _

_He flinched at those words, but reached up to accept his former sensei's hand. Strong fingers closed around his surprisingly thinner wrist before he was pulled up onto the surface of the river and the two men stood in front of one another. "So, you haven't forgotten everything I taught you."_

_"I knew most of this before I started as your student." The elder laughed and nodded. "Same attitude, too, I see. That, I might have been a little responsible for." His former sensei tilted his head, looking sober for a moment before that familiar smile returned, its edges soft and thoughtful. "You're scared, aren't you?" Kakashi was taken aback for a moment before he gave a stiff nod. "Afraid of dying, right?" Again, he gave a nod and the yellow haired man's smile widened a little more. "You shouldn't be afraid for yourself, as they say death is only one more step in life's little journey." Kakashi shook his head in disagreement. "I'm not afraid for myself. But I can't die; not yet."_

_"For her?"_

_Kakashi looked up at his teacher and nodded with a sad smile. "I can't leave Kaede alone. I can't just go and die and leave her without her father. Not like...like..." The other man placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and leaned down so his face was near the Jounin's ear. "Like your father did." Kakashi gave a jolt and found himself staring at a wooden wall. He blinked slowly before turning to face the room. He didn't want to, because he knew what he was going to see. The copycat looked at the open doorway, the light pouring in making it difficult to see the smaller form standing within it, but Kakashi knew who it was. It was a child; it was him. Slowly, he let his eyes fall to the long-ago scene. The grey-haired ninja laid on the ground, cold blood pooling around his still form while dark eyes remained open, though they no longer saw._

_The man was dead._

_The boy at the doorway slowly stepped into the room, stopping a few steps away from the man's body before he looked up with dark eyes, identical to that of the dead man's, fixing Kakashi with a hard, emotionless look. His younger version pushed his hands into his pockets and sighed heavily. "You're going to do the same thing, you know? You're going to leave your only child parentless, too." His younger self turned away then, and headed back to the doorway before stopping and speaking again. "You're going to be just like your father."_

_He blinked and the boy was gone. Kakashi turned his gaze downwards to the body still laying in the room. Something was different though. Rounding to the side of the body Kakashi, crouched down and reached out with his hand. It was like he couldn't help but need to see the other's face. Gently, he pushed the body to its side before recoiling at what he saw. 'Just like your father.' He was staring at himself._

_Kakashi ran from the house. He didn't care if this was real or not. He just couldn't be in that place any longer. He wasn't like his father, he wasn't going to die, and he wasn't going to kill himself. He was going to live; for himself; for Kaede._

_The ground gave out from under the ninja's footing and Kakashi grunted in pain as he fell to the ground. He laid there for some time. It was the rain that made him open his eyes and raise his head, seeing the memorial stone again. With a sigh, Kakashi dragged himself to his feet and slowly walked over to it, before slumping against the cold stone, his cheek pressed to its wet surface and his eyes slid closed again. "Kakashi?" A hand on his shoulder gave him a gentle shake, but he ignored it. "Kakashi, sleeping with the dead isn't really the right thing to do you know." He batted that hand away and could almost picture the humph he got for it before a wheezy cough made his eyes snap open and he looked at Hayate, who smiled at the surprised look on Kakashi's face. "Glad to see you awake, friend. Thought I almost lost you."_

_"Lost me?"_

_Hayate tilted his head and gave Kakashi an unreadable look. "You're giving up. Even if you don't want to, you are." Kakashi just stared at the other ninja, confused by what he meant and Hayate sighed before coughing in that old way of his. "I'm never going to miss that." "Nani?" Hayate smiled after his coughing subsided and he let his hands drop between his knees. "Those old coughs." "You really have no idea, do you? Don't you realize that you're hanging right between life and death?" Life and death? "But, Kaede..."_

_"She's the only thing really holding you in life, friend. If she didn't love you as much as she does, you probably would already be dead by now." Kakashi thought about it for a moment before slumping against the stone and shaking his head sadly. "It's just another one of these nightmares. You're not real. Leave me alone." Hayate gave Kakashi a sad look before leaning down and whispering in his ear. "I might not be real and this might all be fake; just illusions playing inside your mind because of your coma, but Kaede does love you. Be a father and learn to wake up." Kakashi's eyes slipped closed and he suddenly felt like he was falling into an endless, black void._

_He had to wake up._

_Please._

_Wake up._

_-----_

"Please wake up, daddy." Kaede turned away from the light filtering through the hospital rooms window. She buried her head into the crook of Kakashi's neck and sniffed sadly. It might have only been two days now, but with each passing hour, Kaede felt like he'd never wake up, that he'd never open his eyes and smile at her again. "Kaede-chan? Are you alright?" She looked over Kakashi to where Naruto was sitting, the blanket that had been covering him slipping down to pool on his lap as he stretched and yawned at the uncomfortable position he had been forced to sleep it. "Do you think he's ever going to wake up?"

"Sure he will." Naruto stared at Kaede for a moment as she let her eyes drop; she was getting worse. The blonde hated to admit it, but Kaede was getting more silent and depressed, seemingly by the minute. She only ate if someone put food in front of her, and even then, it wasn't a sure thing. She would lay with her dad or just stare at his heart monitor until she passed out from exhaustion. No one could make her leave. Even by force, she somehow found a way back in or she would just go so...lifeless. It scared Naruto seeing both Hatake like that. Tsunade called it catonic shock but Naruto didn't care what cats had to do with it. What he wanted was for his sensei to wake up and for Kaede to go back to normal.

Of course, Tsunade had tried to explain that it had nothing to do with cats.

Standing, Naruto stretched with a growl and placed his hands behind his head. "I'm going for a walk, okay? I'll bring you back some ramen." Kaede simply nodded, not really paying attention to the older ninja as he walked from the room. She laid there for some time until the need for the bathroom made her regretfully leave her father's side to deal with the problem. Kaede returned a short time later and sat down, sliding her hand underneath Kakashi's larger and warmer one as she watched the monitor and its moving lines. "Wake up dad, onegai." She closed her eyes and sighed heavily before something twitched against her hand. Kaede's head snapped up quickly and she stared at her father's hand as his fingers twitched again. Slowly, his first two fingers curled down to rest against her hand and she could almost burst out laughing with joy at the slight movement. He knew she was there; Kaede was sure of it. "I'm not leaving. Not until you wake up and you know it, dad."

His hand twitched again, making his fingers give her hand a little squeeze. It was weak; far too weak for Kaede's liking, but it was still good knowing she was getting a reaction from the Jounin, regardless of how small. After awhile, the movements ceased and Kaede laid her head down against her father's arm, humming lightly to herself as she rubbed her thumb up and down the side of Kakashi's hand. She hadn't imagined it; he had moved, so he had to be getting better. Kaede just knew he had to be. She gave him a gentle smile and continued to hum lightly as her attention turned back to the lines of his heart monitor. It wasn't going to stop; she had to believe that now. It wasn't going to stop because he had moved.

That's how it went, right? If they moved or made signs of waking up, that meant he couldn't die, right?

-----

_It was bright... _

_So very bright..._

_Kakashi closed his eyes slowly and let out a heavy sigh. Even with his eyes closed, it was still too bright. It was almost as if there was a blinding light everywhere. The light annoyed him, almost like it was forcing him to react when all he wanted to do was just..._

_Just stop._

_He slowly opened his dual eyes staring up into the brightness. It was warm here and peaceful, something Kakashi hadn't truly felt for a long time. This place made him want to sleep; it made him want to just close his eyes and never wake again. It made him feel like he should never worry about anything again and to be at peace._

_"I can't do that..." Turning his head to the side, Kakashi stared at the grass. It seemed almost white. Frowning, the Jounin buried his hand into the 'grass', his frown deepening when he discovered that it wasn't grass, but snow. He knew it should be cold, but it didn't feel like it. Instead, it felt soft and gentle, almost like cotton. It was unusual. Letting the snow fall from his hand back to the ground, Kakashi stared at his hand, still raised, blinking curiously as a snowflake fell onto it, followed by more. Turning his head back to look up, Kakashi watched as the light faded into darkness. Only the falling snow and the snow he was laying on covering the ground showed. White and pure. "Pure as fallen snow." The Jounin tensed at that gentle voice. Slowly, he looked up at Haku, who smiled sweetly down at him. "That's what you said, isn't it? When I died?"_

_"Hai." He gave a nod and the former Mist-nin crouched down, his hands resting on his lap. "I don't blame you for killing me. It wasn't your choice after all." Kakashi frowned thoughtfully. Did he subconsciously blame himself for the boy's death, even after all this time? He knew that standing on that bridge, his hand buried in the boy's chest, that he had been stunned that he had stepped in front of Chidori. Maybe he did blame himself for not stopping in time. A little, feminine giggle made Kakashi refocus on Haku, who lowered his hand from his mouth and tilted his head to the side. "So, let's discuss how we're going to get you to wake up, ne?"_

_"Wake up?" The boy made it sound like he was taking a afternoon nap or something, not lying somewhere in the snow, talking to a teenager who had died years ago by his hand. "I..." He felt tears welling up in his odd colored eyes as he fought to keep control of his emotions like he had for most of his life; that he had both been trained to do and had chosen to do. "I don't want to die."_

_The Leaf-nin closed his eyes tightly, ignoring the sting of tears running down the sides of his face as slender, yet surprisingly strong arms wrapped around him. He found himself crying against Haku's chest, as the boy hugged him. "It's alright, Hatake Kakashi." It seemed to take forever to raise his hand and grab onto the material of Haku's kimono. His tears pent up from so long, for far too many things, were finally released. He wasn't sure how long he cried for, but when he finally was able to stop he felt...rejuvenated… Oddly more stable...Alive. No, not alive, but more..._

_Hopeful._

_Slowly, Kakashi opened his eyes and Haku released him before standing with a happy smile. He looked away from the Jounin and towards something. No, someone that was just out of Kakashi's range of sight. Perhaps it wasn't for him to see, but he knew whoever it was, was there. "I have to go now, Kakashi-sama. You should go back now, too. Wake up and stop worrying that little girl of yours, and..." Haku giggled and bowed towards his former killer. "Don't be afraid." Kakashi wiped the tears from his face, turning to look up at the little Mist-nin, only to find him already gone. That was two now: Hayate and Haku. Both seemed to be there helping him in their own little way, though one had been a friend of sorts and the other..._

_Kakashi stood after a thoughtful moment. It seemed he had been correct about Haku; he really was a caring child, regardless of how he had been raised. He tilted his head with a soft smile as the snow continued to fall._

_The snow really was beautiful._

_-----_

Iruka sat in the waiting room in one of the chairs, his body reclined and his hands folded in his lap. He stared at the ceiling, once again counting the titles. He figured there was around fifty, as he never finished counting, being as he normally lost count. He was periodically disturbed an odd noise which one only notices in a silent room. As he counted, Tsunade came through the twin doors on the other side of the room and looked surprisingly at Iruka. He continued to count as she approached him. "Iruka? You haven't been here the entire time, have you?"

The brown-haired man's eyes dropped down to look at the women as he paused his counting. "What? Oh, no. I'm sorry." He lost his number and dropped his gaze fully to the Sannin, shaking his head as he stood up. He gave an apologetic smile and scratched the back of his head. "I just only got here a while ago. I would've said something earlier, but I was afraid I would be interrupting something. I just stopped by to check on things. I hope I'm not intruding on anything?" Iruka gave a soft smile as he looked at her, only for that smile to fade slightly at her condition. She had looked as if she hadn't slept much lately.

The Sannin shook her head in reply and gave a gentle smile in return. "No, you're alright. I was just coming back from checking on the others." The pale-haired woman's smile faded as Iruka's did as she looked down slightly. Iruka gave a half worried look as he waited patiently, knowing that something was troubling the woman. "Is everything okay?" Tsunade blinked and looked back up, part of a smile on her face. "Depends on what you mean by 'okay." It's just…" She let out a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck as she looked down once again. "Kakashi's been stable and his condition hasn't moved in either direction. The other day we did have a scare, but we managed to get it under control and since then, everything's been… fine… If you can call it that. Kaede claimed he moved a little, but she hasn't said about anything else after the other day." She paused and Iruka still remained silent.

A few minutes passed and Iruka finally spoke up. "So, how's Kaede, then?" Tsunade gave a deep frown. "Well, she's not too much better herself. She refuses to eat and hardly sleeps and when she does, it's because she's passed out from exhaustion or from crying. She doesn't looked the same anymore, either. Her skin tone seems faded and her eyes are shallow and always tired. Nothing will make her quit… I just hope Kakashi wakes up soon. I don't know how much more we can all take of this, especially Kaede. She's so worried about that stubborn bastard, that she's forgot to worry about herself."

"Sounds like typical, little Kaede for you." Iruka gave a smile. She was always strong-spirited and determined. "She just so much like him. She won't give up and keeps her word. Kaede won't let him go. That little girl's holding both of them up and I just hope Kakashi doesn't slip from her grasp." The 'dolphin' paused as a sad shadow began to linger in his eyes. "He's her entire life and I'd hate to see her have to grow up with a parent. It's hard to grow up alone…" The Chuunin's voice trailed as his eyes drifted off to the side. Tsunade gave him a soft look and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to looked up thankfully. Iruka gave a weak smile. "Do you mind if I see her?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Of course not. Come on." She lead Iruka back to Kakashi's room and the Chuunin was slightly appalled himself at the sight of the other ninja and at his almost lifeless form. He felt scared again and most of that fear was for the little girl sitting at the side of his bed. "I'll leave you alone for a bit. I'd hate to intrude myself." Tsunade left and Iruka nodded. "I'll keep it short."

He hesitated, but soon Iruka found the courage to approach the girl, but did so slowly. She paid no attention to him, as her attention was focused on the heart monitor, her green eyes watching the lines and her ears listening to the beeps. Iruka placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Kaede?" The little girl whipped around in surprise, but her expression stayed the same. That blank look on her face sent a chill down the elder's spine. He could see what Tsunade was talking about. Her eyes were blank and dark, fatigue occupying every speck of green they held. That usual, lively shine was absent and her youthful glow was gone from her cheeks. He tilted his head with a soft look. "So… How you doing?"

Kaede's eyes dropped a bit, straying back shortly at her father. Iruka kneeled down and held out her arms and the little Hatake went in for a hug. She started to shake as her eyes started to flood once more with tears. Kaede managed to hold it for a bit, but soon broke down again in his arms. Her voice was void of any hope and it frightened Iruka. That wasn't like her. "I-Iruka-sensei… I… I can't t-take it anymore…" she managed to say between sobs. He tightened his squeeze on her small form. "Kaede…"

The little girl kept repeating what she had said, an apology or some kind of gibberish sneaking out every once and a while. The next thing she said sent a shock through Iruka, unable to believe what he had heard. "D-Do you think… that if… I really do l-love him… t-that I s-should… l-let him g-go? L-let him m-move on?" The pain that inhabited her voice was scary and Iruka couldn't believe that Kaede, of all people, had said it.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Iruka asked the little girl, the surprise wanting to explode from his voice. "Kaede… Don't say that. Your father wouldn't want you to do that. He'd want to be with you." He rubbed her back as she began to cry harder. "But… but… He…" Iruka shook his head. "No, Kaede… Don't speak… It's all going to be alright… Whatever your thinking is just because you're tired…" His eyes were shining with wonder as he was still shocked. He hushed Kaede whenever she tired to speak. He needed to get her to sleep. She was becoming unstable…

Tsunade watched from a crack in the doorway and shook her head, her eyes narrowing sadly. This was too much on the girl… She was giving up… The older woman just hoped Kakashi wasn't doing the same. That was the last thing the two Hakake needed.

The younger Hatake continued to cry and Iruka continued to comfort her, trying to ease those thoughts from her mind. It was painful for him to see her this way. She was normally a bright girl, always seeing some positive side to anything, but now, that was gone. She was broken. She wasn't herself anymore. Iruka started to wish harder for Kakashi to wake up. He too wanted to see the two Hatake back to normal.

"It's m-my fault he got hurt… H-had he n-not had to w-worry a-about me a-all the t-time, h-he wouldn't have g-gotten h-hurt like this… He'd be b-better off w-without m-me… Then, he w-wouldn't have t-to w-worry about m-me all the t-time…" Kaede cried, causing Iruka's concern to grow even more. The girl loved her father… Why was she saying this? Kaede just kept going, pouring out some inner feeling that had never made itself known until now. "I s-should've been the one… in that b-bed… Not h-him… I should've b-been the one w-who got h-hurt… It was my f-fault… I t-taunted S-Sasuke… He came after m-me… N-not d-dad…"

"Oh, Kaede…" Iruka sighed, a tear sliding down his cheek. This was just getting worse and worse and Iruka was afraid. He didn't know what to do, but he wanted to make it stop. His voice lowered down, almost lower than a whisper and he looked over at Kakashi. He basically mouth his words. "Please wake up, Kakashi…"

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This ends Chapter 2 of Nightmare and we hope to have Chapter 3 up as soon as possible. Like said before, we hope you enjoyed it and hope you come back for our next installment. Please leave a review and tell us what you think, as we would welcome any ideas or tips you may have. Thanks for reading!


	3. Dying Flames

Disclaimer and Introduction - Part 3:

Hey, and welcome back for part 3 of Nightmare!

Again, the disclaimer. Neither Kitsune nor I own Naruto or any characters from the series. Kaede belongs to me. Half credit for this chapter is given to both of us and again, I did most of the editting.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy this third part of Nightmare!

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"I love you, daddy... You know that, right?" Kaede stared at her father's prone body for moment, then down to the kunai held tightly in her skinny fingers. The cold metal of the weapon reflected how she felt inside. She felt hopeless... Lifeless... And… Cold… Oh, so cold. It made her feel sick. "I don't think this is selfish of me. Do you think it is?" The only answer she got was the light beep of the heart monitor and the soft breathing behind her from Iruka. The teacher had made sure to check up on Kaede every day, mostly when she started to become even more noticeably unstable.

She turned the blade over in her hand, watching as the light caught its sharp edge. It was so promising, so teasing...

"Don't hate me, daddy." Kaede's hand trembled as she leaned over the side of the bed and lowered the blade's point towards Kakashi's throat. Just a quick jab and it would all be over. But what if she missed? What if he didn't die right away? These questions swirled through her head, causing her sense to suddenly come back. Pulling away, Kaede dropped the weapon and stumbled back from the bed, her emerald eyes wide with horror. "What am I doing?" Her hands covered her mouth as she collapsed near the wall, staring at her father with shock. She had been ready to kill him, her own father. Hot tears staring to fall and Kaede's hands moved away from her face to wrap around her stomach as she doubled over and cried out, almost like a animal in pain. The noise caused Iruka to jerk forward, awake and alert. Almost immediately, he looked from Kakashi to Kaede, who was sitting across the room, crying in a painful wail.

It was a heartbreaking noise to hear from a child so young.

Quickly, Iruka dropped down to the floor and pulled Kaede into a tight hug, hushing her and pleading for her to calm down. The little Hatake buried her face into Iruka's vest but those wails didn't stop as she seemed to cry harder. Iruka looked around the room, his doe-colored eyes dropping onto the kunai laying on the floor.

His eyes widened as his mind evaluated what had happened, or what was the most likely thing to have happened before she came to her senses. If it hadn't been for the continuous beep of Kakashi's heart monitor, he might have suspected that the little girl had managed to go through with her plan. But what had she planned? Had she lost so much hope that she was ready to end the Jounin's life? The life of the man that meant so much to her? Her father's life?

Iruka didn't want to think such a thing possible and he tried to make himself think more innocent scenarios, but that kunai, just sitting there, made them all impossible. "Kaede, just hold on a little longer. Please, just hang on for his sake." Kaede seemed to go limp in the Chuunin's hold, her eyes glassy and unfocused. When she spoke, it sent a chill of terror down Iruka's spine. It wasn't the voice of a innocent child. It was a voice of someone without hope, without emotion. "I have to save him. He's never going to wake up unless I do something, even if it means killing him."

He tightened his hold on the little girl, tears running out between tightly closed eyes. His voice cracked as he shook his head in denial of what she was saying. "Don't you dare… Don't you dare say that Kaede. Don't you dare think he's just going to give up or that he wants to just die. If you think he does...If you think he wants to die..." Iruka gave a shaky sob. He didn't want to say this, but it had to be said. She had to know what...no...who she was starting to become, believing that only death would make the pain go away. "If you think he wants to die...you're acting just like Sasuke." She went tense, almost as if she had been hit in the face. All Kaede could see flashing through her mind and in her vision was Sasuke. He wanted his brother dead, so the pain of loss would go away and she wanted to free her dad, so he didn't need to keep fighting...She wanted the hurt inside her chest to stop.

"I'm just like him."

A wave of hopelessness washed over her and for one clear brief moment...she wanted to die. "You can only be like him if you act like him. It's your choice Kaede. Please, bare with this pain for a little longer and hope and pray that your father wakes up. When he does, he won't want to see you broken or heartless. He'll want to see his daughter. He'll want to see Hatake Kaede." Iruka leaned back a little and gave the girl a sad look. "He'll want to see you."

She just hung in his hold, her eyes still unfocused. That was the second person now, who had told her it was her choice to act as Sasuke did. She shifted slowly in his arms, dropping her eyes, her head following their lead. Her green irises seemed to quiver as they once again started to flood. "I'm sorry…" she muttered, her usual tone trying to break through the barrier that had been thrown up. "You're all doing what you can to help… and all I'm doing is giving up…I'm just trying to get rid of my pain in an act of fear… I'm sorry…"

Kaede leaned her head against his chest as his look softened. "Kaede, don't apologize. It's hard and you're doing your best. That's all that matters. You're still trying." The little girl just stayed silent, as her tears streaked her cheeks and she shook her head softly. He hugged her. "It'll be alright. You're dad wouldn't give up on you, so don't give up on him."

Iruka leaned more against the wall and Kaede shifted, climbing from his lap and sitting beside him. She stared off towards the other side of the room, her eyes still kind of blank. Again, her usual shine tried to fight through as she opened her mouth slightly to speak. "Why do you think he did it?" Iruka looked over at her and then, looked away, scratching his throat softly. "Kakashi? Well, he did it to -"

The little girl shook her head softly as she cut him off. "No, not him… Sasuke. He had no reason… No real reason to hurt dad, did he?" Iruka's eyes observed her as he gave a thoughtful look up at the ceiling. "You know… I think maybe it's because he's jealous." The Chuunin looked down at the young Hatake. " He probably sees you and your father happy together and become jealous because he isn't able to grow up with his father like you are. At the same time, you were, and probably still are, a bit jealous of him for stealing Kakashi's attention. He was probably only doing it to get the feeling he's missing with his father." Iruka looked back across the room. "Why he hurt him… Well, Sasuke only knows how to get rid of pain by take that thing that causes it out of his life. He takes away someone dear to someone else to make himself feel better. Maybe he went to hurt your father in hopes of killing him along with the happiness you two shared, so he wouldn't be reminded of what was stolen from him."

A silence passed between them for a moment and Kaede looked up at him. "…I'm…not like that, am I?" Iruka gazed down at her, his expression questioning the girl. "Hmm? What makes you say that?" The little girl looked down sadly, recalling a memory. "He told me that I was just as selfish as he was… and lately, that just seems true." Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly in her emotional pain before she continued. "everything I seem to do and think just makes me seem more like him… Am I really no better than that…?" Her voice trailed off as her eyes looked off to the side a bit.

"Kaede…" Iruka started, but stopped when the little girl continued. "I guess my love blinded me… And I only really saw that happiness… I never saw what dad would have to do to give me that… He does everything for me and I've taken it all for granted." She shifted slightly in her position as she shot a short look at Kakashi. "All he worries about is me and I never considered what could happen to him because of his worry… I am selfish…" She hung her head as she thought about it.

Iruka gave a soft chuckle. "You silly girl." Kaede looked up, her eyes confused. "What?" Iruka returned her look, a playful smile on his face. "Don't you see? Kakashi does all of that because he loves you . It's not like you're forcing him to do that for you. He doesn't want you to worry about him, not like that. He doesn't like seeing you that way. He only wants to see you happy."

"But why does he -"

"He's a parent. He's like that. And you should feel lucky to still have that love. Many ninja don't have a childhood with their parents. They would give anything to have what you have now , Kaede." He gave her a soft smile, but Kaede could see that sad glint in his eyes.

She returned his smile as they both fell silent, their eyes traveling to the opposite wall. Neither said another word, but there was nothing really left to be said. Iruka had seen that sparkle in the young girl's eyes. He sat with his soft smile as he chuckled quietly to himself. She was just like her father. They were both stubborn and determined. He looked down at her, watching her small movements.

The young girl's eyes settled on Kakashi, their color soft as they rested on the man's sleeping form. Her eyelids dropped slowly as she blinked, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, her ears drawn to the monitor's beeps once more. In a way, it made her sleepy and her eyes slowly closed, her head bobbing down some. Yes… She would wait. Be it a day or a month, she'd do as he would for her. The little girl whispered a few silent words, hushed enough to where only she could hear them. "Take your time, dad… I don't mind. I'll still be here waiting."

She knew he couldn't hear her, but she didn't care as she slowly fell asleep, her body going limp as she dozed off. She slumped over, leaning against Iruka, whose gaze shifted down to the sleeping child. He ran a hand through her soft, white hair as he picked her up and carried her over to her father's bed. The Chuunin place her carefully besides the older Hatake and watched as she snuggled close to him. A small smile flashed on her face as if to say thank you and Iruka nodded softly in return.

A feeling filled Iruka as he watched the two. It made his heart light with happiness, but he could still feel that weight in the bottom of it which was jealousy. He sighed as his eyes narrowed some as he scolded himself on the inside for it. He stepped back and turned to leave and a medic appeared in the door, looking for the teacher. Iruka gave the two Hatake one last look before leaving, turning out the light, casting the room into a clam darkness.

The next afternoon, the little girl woke late and moved out of the bed once again to watch her father. After a while, Kaede rested her head on the bedside, her arms dangling limply over the edges of the chair. Her cheeks were slightly pink, a sign that the girl was either sick or tired, which she was a bit of both. She sniffled as she slumped backwards in her chair, her head hanging back as she stared at the ceiling. She counted the beeps as she gave a weak cough. The little girl mumbled something as she leaned forward, resting her arms on her legs as she stared once more at her still , sleeping father.

Her eyes stared at him tiredly, the green color glazed and hazy. Kaede leaned back in her chair, still watching him, still listening to the heart monitor's beeps. They were always the same, day after day. The young Hatake sighed as her eyes drooped farther. "Dad…" Her head bobbed down slightly as she was taken away to her dream land once again. However, as her head dropped down, something caught her eye. It was a creamy color… Maybe it was Tsunade or someone… She couldn't tell. Her eyes were probably playing tricks on her, but then, a voice spoke and she knew who it was immediately.

"Not like me, huh?" The voice chuckled darkly. "You really shouldn't fall asleep you know… Who knows what could happen… While your eyes are closed." Kaede looked up, full eyed, seeing Sasuke sitting in a chair on the opposite side of Kakashi's bed. Kaede glared. "Sasuke!" she hissed, standing up defensively. He just sat there, that cold smirk plastered on his face once again. "So, you know what pain is now? Or shall I show you some more?" His eyes trailed over to the older Hatake, a gleam shining in the Uchiha's dark eyes.

Kaede growled. "Leave him alone! Don't you dare touch him! Whatever you want, settle it with me!" Sasuke looked back at her and cocked his head. "Hmm…Trying not to be selfish, huh? Well, sorry, I don't feel like playing around with you… I'll just finish what I started!" He made a move towards Kakashi's life support and Kaede leapt over the bed at him, grabbing his wrist. She felt to the ground with a large crash, bringing him slightly along with her.

The white-haired girl looked up at him angrily as Sasuke looked down at her surprised. Suddenly, who she saw wasn't who she thought. Her eyes were playing tricks on her… Who she saw, she couldn't believe. It was… It was the one person she would never dream possible of doing such a thing, looking back at her doubly as shocked was no other than the most beloved teacher in all of Konoha. Sitting on the ground holding the cord that had been pulled free during the fall was none other then Umino Iruka.

Kaede remained still on the ground, her body rigid with confusion, and her eyes sparkling with fear. She opened her mouth to speak, but was lost for words. She didn't know how to think and a furry of emotions had exploded inside her. Her heart was racing as she stared at Iruka, unable to clear her mind. Nothing was making sense. She wanted to scream, but the little girl was speechless.

Her eyes wavered on him for a moment before trailing over to her father. She felt her heart stop as she seemed to return to the present, sound filling her ears once more. The young Hatake wished it hadn't. Her body was shaking uncontrollably in a strong, emotional pain. She simply was heartbroken. Kaede went to speak again and didn't look back at the other man. Only one word escaped her lips. It was soft and sad, though anger bordered her tone. It was a feeling which was hard to explain. Her voice asked softly, "…Why…?"

Iruka stared at the object in his hand as if he wasn't sure what it was doing there. The room was silent now that the life support wasn't on. So quiet, so silent… Like death.

He let the cord drop from his hand to land on the ground with a light sound. Slowly, he placed his hand against the wall and pushed himself up to his feet leaning against it for a moment as if trying to understand what and why he had just killed someone he considered a friend. Finding no answer, he just stood there staring at the dark corner of the room. "You wanted to free him."

The words were emotionless and cold. "You tried to do something similar only last night." Iruka's dark eyes moved to look over at the prone ninja those same eyes widening in surprise as the Jounin's hands moved to curl around the material of the blanket underneath them. "Impossible." The lack of oxygen was getting to the unconscious ninja's body as that natural need to breathe was restricted by the tube down his throat. So Kakashi's body was conscious enough to know when he was starting to suffocate.

Kaede sat there, her head now dropped. Her shoulders now shook noticeably. She stared at the floor, her eyes completely flooded, the green color submerged under a heavy layer of tears which now started to fall to the ground. Kaede wanted to speak, but instead, shook her head, her hair swaying with each movement.

A strong gripping pain had seemed to taken over. She couldn't feel her body as her limbs went numb and her head start to hurt. Her emotions were uncontrollable and unpredictable and she started to cry loudly. Yes... she wanted to do something similar last night... but she had chose different... She had chose to hold on and now...

Her eyes suddenly narrowed as a strong twinge of anger grasped the girl. Her hands clenched, clawing slightly at the floor as they balled into fists. Kaede raised her head, her eyes narrow and dark. They weren't the eyes of an innocent little girl anymore. They were like bottomless pits, but one could easy see the drive behind them. The emerald orbs were hardened and solemn, though her tears still reflected near the bottom of her eyes.

Kaede stood, moving slowly and shakily to her feet. An angry determination had come over her and she shook softly with it. She glared at Iruka. She was angry... She was hurt. Kaede had trusted him and had believed in him. She took a shaky breath as those thoughts disgusted her...

Her eyes then trailed from him again to her father and her anger broke suddenly, leaving the girl just as fast as it came. In a strong, solid burst, Kaede pushed past Iruka and to Kakashi's bedside. Her eyes scanned him up and down quickly, settling on that mask covering his face for a split second. Oh… she wished she had paid more attention to what Tsunade had said earlier about it… The little girl went to remove it, but stopped. She wasn't sure what to do and her small hand gripped the blanket before she reached over and placed a hand on it, pulling it away from his face hesitantly. Kaede then shook her head and took it off fully.

It restricted him… She knew he hated that…

She dropped the mask onto the ground, listening to it clatter on the floor. Kaede shot a glance backwards at Iruka and that glint in his eye caught her attention. The young girl's eyes widened as she turned. Maybe… her eyes hadn't been playing tricks on her…

Iruka just glared at the Jounin as the little girl hurried around him. This wasn't right; he wasn't meant to be fighting. Kakashi was just meant to die. Dark eyes narrowed coldly as Kakashi coughed, half choking as the tube was pulled from his throat and the mask was pulled from his face. Slowly the Jounin's chest started to raise and fall, though not entirely even. It was struggled and a little raspy, but he wasn't going to die in the next five minutes.

Kaede noticed that icy glare, which made that angry air return back to hers. She stood protectively besides her father's bed, standing in a stance. The little girl wasn't going to let him come any closer. She knew that really wasn't Iruka. Her fists clenched tightly at her side as she returned his dark gaze. "Just who are you?" she demanded.

Iruka turned that glare to Kaede, a short cruel smirk crossing his face. "There's no fooling a Hatake, now is there?" In a puff of chakra smoke, the imposter was revealed. Kabuto placed a hand on his hip and fingered his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "This would have been a nice, clean death for your dad if he wasn't so stubborn, but then, I shouldn't have expected anything less from the Copy-cat ninja."

Kabuto glared at the two Hatake before smiling at Kaede, looking rather amused that the girl was standing in a ready stance. "Do you really think you can stand up against the likes of me?"

"Not sure, but then again, no one ever is until they try," Kaede answered, her expression remaining solid and solemn. It was rather strange... It looked basically like Kakashi's. It held the same determined gleam and the same hard, seriousness. Kabuto chuckled, entertained by the young ninja. His glasses shone ominously. "Fine, have it your way."

The Sound-nin took a step towards the little girl before looking up like a startled deer as the overhead light flickered on and a woman's icy voice sounded from the doorway. "Even if she can't, we can." Kabuto winced as if in physical pain at the sight of Tsunade, her hands on her hips and a cold scowl across her face. Standing just a foot or two behind her was Iruka.

It was the real Iruka, who looked as equally impressed as the Hokage. Kaede's eyes widened at the sight of the two ninja as she sputtered. "How did...did you know...?" A calm smile crossed Iruka's face then and she felt a sense of relief knowing this was the real Iruka. That he was still the kind and friendly man that would never harm her father. Those words though...from last night, they couldn't have been Kabuto's words… They were heartfelt and truthful. So that meant...

"After you fell asleep last night after our talk, I was informed by a medic that I was needed else where. I really thought nothing of it until later this afternoon when Tsunade expressed her puzzlement of seeing me here then at the ramen stand within such a short time." Iruka frowned at Kabuto as he concluded his explanation. "Obviously, we were confused until we turned up here and heard from a real medic that I was in here with you and Kakashi-san." Tsunade gave a sharp nod in agreement with the teacher.

"So, Kabuto, that answers why we're here and how you got in here, but what it has failed to answer is what do you think you're trying to do with my Jounin?" Tsunade's stare could have melted rock at this point and it didn't take a genius to know she was ticked off and not just a little bit. Kaede moved closer to her father's side, her own glare turning to the Sound-nin who chuckled in that annoying, bemused manner of his. "I thought that would be obvious Hokage-sama. I'm cleaning up the mess that Sasuke made."

He smirked towards the unconscious Jounin and Kaede moved into his line of view, making another chuckle escape the pale haired teenager. "Like father, like daughter is it?"

"You bet it is." That determined look had returned to Kaede's young face and even Tsunade had to take a second look at the girl. She was indeed a spitting image of her father, of Kakashi. The same dangerous, narrowing of her emerald eyes that the Copy-cat had; the same solid, serious look that promised to bring death to whoever stood between the Hatake and the things important to them, be it orders or in this case:

Family.

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And that wraps of this third portion of Nightmare. Currently, Chapter 4 is being written, but should be up as soon as we can get it done. Thanks once more for reading and please, don't hesitate to tell us what you think. We could use pointers and stuff. Again, thanks for reading.


	4. Broken Heart, Broken Hope

Disclaimer and Introduction - Part 4:

Hoorah! Welcome back for Chapter 4 of Nightmare!

Same disclaimer as before folks. However, for this chapter, writing credit is half and half. Italic stuff is Kitsune's part and the regular stuff is mine. Editting was also done by me as well. Again. You know. Kaede belongs to me and neither Kit nor myself own Naruto or any other characters from the series.

With that over, enjoy the fourth part of Nightmare!

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It was icy cold and left freezing trails across Kakashi's flesh as it ran down his face and neck. He felt exposed and looked down at the light material hospital clothes he was wearing of a pale color, just simple long pants and a long sleeved shirt that tied open at the back which allowed the icy claw feeling creep down his spine as well. As cold as it was, Kakashi didn't feel it as he stared up at the light grey stone of the memorial, marked with the harsh lines of hundreds of thousands of names. They were the names of ninja who had fallen in battle to protect their families and their village, people he had known, perhaps even been friends with. The Jounin knew far too many of those names, but that didn't matter... not right now.

Something was wrong.

Something wasn't right.

He slowly moved closer to the stone, wondering if he would see his own name carved into the familiar surface again. Kakashi stared at the stone, the names all a single blurr as if the rain itself was trying to hide what Kakashi feared to see from him.

A soft splash sounded behind him as a shorter figure stepped up just besides his shoulder. Though he couldn't seem to turn his head to see who it was, he didn't need to. Kakashi knew it was Sasuke. "It's all your fault, you know. If you had just died, then none of this would have happened, but I'm glad you're alive. Do you know why?"

The Jounin didn't answer. He didn't need to, but that feeling of something terrible had happened refused to leave him and he couldn't draw his attention from the blurred names. It was almost as if he was searching for something; Something he didn't want to see.

Sasuke spoke again, grim amusement clear in his voice. "I'm glad you're alive, because now I can watch as I break you." He could feel Sasuke's warm breath near his shoulder and ear. "Because it's your fault that she died." One name suddenly became very painfully clear and Kakashi tensed. He couldn't breath or move. He couldn't react as his entire being was overcome with fear, with pain, with such intense emotions that he couldn't stop or control. That name... it couldn't be there. It shouldn't be there. "Iie...Anyone but her..." The name was so clear as it stood out, mocking him, threatening him from the rest of the blurred names.

The Sound-nin pulled out a blade and rushed at the girl. Both Tsunade and Iruka tensed, but remained where they were. That sparkle in Kaede's eyes told them to hold off for now. She was going to protect her father. This was her battle and she intended to take care of Kabuto alone. She stepped forward and preformed a short string of seals and crossed her arms defensively in front of her. Kabuto swung and a sharp yet dull noise pierced the air. Kaede pushed against the blade, a thin, blue layer of her Chakra Shield emitting around her arms, keeping the blade from going any further.

However, Kabuto pushed the little girl back, a low growl produced from his throat. Kaede gritted her teeth as she pushed back, causing the sound of the conflict between the chakra and metal blade to intensify. "I don't go back on my word... You won't get through... I won't let you!" With that came a burst of energy and Kaede pushed against his force harder before using the shield to knock him backwards, causing him to stumble backwards a few steps. Kaede rushed after him and jumped, swing her foot around, aiming for his neck. He caught it just before she made contact and pulled back, whipping her around slightly. He dangled her in front of him and slashed at the air with his blade, going for the girl's head. She pulled upwards as quickly as possible, the blade missing only by a little. Kabuto grunted as he swung her, throwing her at the doorway.

-----

_Slowly, his legs gave out and he sunk down onto the mud. Kakashi listened to the cold laugh that escaped Sasuke, his mind at a complete blank. This wasn't real; it couldn't be real... He had saved Kaede... He knew he had... He could still feel where Kusanagi had pierced his body both times, where the other's Chidori had cut along his shoulder. Muscles had torn, had burned. It lingered in the back of his mind almost like a faded memory, but he remembered it and he knew it was real. There had been blood... So much blood... But it had been all his, not hers._

_"You're a liar, Sasuke."_

_That laughter stopped abruptly and a hand hit him in the back of the head before fingers twisted into his wild hair, tightening until the point of pain. Sasuke pulled his former teacher's head back with an annoyed and rather vicious snarl so he was staring up at Sharigan red eyes. It was Sasuke's turn to be surprised though. There was no emotion, at least no readable emotion, anywhere on his teacher's face or in his dual colored eyes. Instead, he was staring at am emotionless Anbu, Kakashi wearing the mask he hed learned to and had honed since he was a child, since Obito's death._

_Since he lost everything and before he had gained his daughter._

_Glaring, Sasuke shoved the Jounin towards the ground, making a errie odd chuckle escape Kakashi. "What's wrong? Didn't see what you were hoping to see? Did you expect me to cry? To wail? To beg it to not be true?" Turning his head to look up at the teenager, the Copycat smirked in a unfamiliar way. "You're pathetic."_

_Sasuke was furious. He could tell by the emotions that flickered through those red and black eyes and the way the boy's body trembled. Balling his hands into fists ,the youngest Uchiha swung his fist down, punching Kakashi across the face before doing it again and again. He didn't stop until that anger seemed to subside. He kept his fist raised for a moment before lowering it and grabbing Kakashi by his hair again. "We'll see who'd pathetic after I tear that little bitch's heart out, won't we now?" He released Kakashi and the Jounin slowly rose his head as Sasuke started to walk away from him, heading for the tree line, calling out in a mocking singsong voice. "Oh Kaede-chan! Come out and play! Show daddy dearest how your going to die like a dog!"_

_-----_

Tsunade caught the little girl and looked down at her worriedly. Kaede said nothing as she continued to glare at the pale-haired boy. He merely smirked at her as he turned, placing a hand on his hip. Kaede moved up to her feet as Kabuto started to taunt her. "Is that all you have to give? You're never going to stop me that way..." He shook his head disappointedly, though that mocking grin still remained. Kaede's glare at him deepened. "Don't underestimate me..." she breathed, her words deep and cold. "Don't take me as a push-over... I will stop you."

Kabuto titled his head, again egging on the young Hatake on. "Really, huh? Well, are we doing a poor job. You're over there... And I... Well..." His eyes shifted darkly over to her father, eyeing the unconcious ninja. He took a step backwards, causing Kaede to lunge slightly. He played around with her some more before going at Kakashi fully, causing the girl to leapt into full action.

"Iie!"

_-----_

_"Iie!" Kakashi dragged himself to his feet as Sasuke disappeared into the trees and from the elder ninja's sight. Not even the Sharigan in his left eye could see any further then the tree line, but he knew he couldn't stay where he was. Kaede needed him and he had to protect her, like he had before. Stumbling in the mud Kakashi, slipped a little before managing to reach the trees and he ran like a startled deer. The Copycat had no idea where he was heading, but somehow he knew it was the right way. He just hoped he would be in time, that he would be able to stop Sasuke again._

_He had to... If he lost Kaede..._

_If she died because he couldn't protect her..._

_It would kill him._

_Branches scratched at the Jounin's form as he ran, forcing himself to ignore them as they tore at his exposed flesh, scratching his cheek and cutting across the back of his hand. It stung, but that pain would be nothing if he didn't reach Kaede in time. He felt a pain growing in his chest, almost like his heart was about to rupture, as if there was a blade buried deep inside his chest, cutting through him. It was as if Kasanagi was impaling his lung again, cutting him, trying to kill him._

_It made him dizzy, but he wouldn't stop. He couldn't... Not until he found her...Not until he made sure she was safe._

_Everything suddenly went silent and Kakashi slowed to a jog before stopping completely, his eyes widening. The silence was errie, as if the entire world was waiting for a single familiar noise. A noise Kakashi knew well, but right now, feared to hear. When it came, his heart felt like it had lept into his throat and was choking him; the screech of birds... Not one or two, but hundreds...A thousand. He did the only thing he could. Kakashi ran as fast as his body would allow him, heading for that noise. After a moment, as the trees started to thin, the screech changed just slightly, but enough for the Jounin to know, though it made him sick to think it, that he was too late. The screech sounded muffled... It sounded, for a word..._

_Wet._

_-----_

Things seemed to happen so fast, yet so slow. It was all over in a second and drops of blood fell to the floor. Kabuto dug his blade deeper into the soft skin, feeling it cut through muscle and other tissue. Kaede looked up at him, pushing her arm into his blade, forcing him back slightly. Kabuto scowled down at her, angry that she was able to get in his way. Kaede continued to force him back, feeling the warm blood trickle down her arm, listening to it drip onto the tiled floor. The blade was forced deeper into her arm, but right now, the little girl could've cared less.

After a minute or two, Kabuto pulled his blade away and stepped back a bit. The two exchanged glares once again, another silence filling the tense room. Kaede's arm continued to drip, the red liquid pooling on the ground, reflecting the light. Kaede eyed it slightly, knowing this was nothing... Nothing compared to what her dad had felt... Thinking that, everything flashed in her head again, making the little girl burst forward at her foe. She ran at him, causing the two to engage into a close-combat duel. The young Hatake gave it her all and Kabuto actually found her somewhat difficult to handle.

Her attacks were relentless and merciless, but well planned. It was hard to read her movements... It was amazing on how she could focus like this with the state of her body and mind as of now. However, she was starting to get sloppy. As Kaede charged at him again, Kabuto found an opening and kicked the girl backwards.

_-----_

_Kakashi stumbled into the clearing, the same one that he had dove headfirst into the first time to save Kaede's life, the same one where he had almost lost his own, the same one where Sasuke was now. Sasuke had one hand firmly around the girl's delicate, slender throat, holding tight enough to prevent her from making any noise, even if she had been able to. His other hand..._

_The Jounin shook his head as tears burned his eyes and he basically collapsed as he took in the sight before him._

_Sasuke's other hand was buried deep in Kaede's chest, the still living sparks of Chidori scratching wildly around the teenager's fingers and palm that had been forced through the girl's body, impaling her on the limb. A cruel smile crossed Sasuke's blood splattered face, the power of Chidori finally starting to fade allowing, Kakashi to hear the sound of his daughter's blood pouring from the open wound torn down her small body to create a puddle on the ground below her. That grin never faded from Sasuke's face as Kakashi heaved. He wanted to be sick, but there was nothing to bring up and dry heaving quickly made his throat burn as tears crawled down the sides of his face._

_He couldn't stop them nor did he want to. His heart broke and he suddenly felt so weak. The grief was too much, but he couldn't stop that thick splattering sound from filling his mind._

_Wetly, Sasuke pulled his arm from the dead girl's body, letting her small form dangle from the hold he still had on her neck. "I told you I'd destroy you." Sasuke threw Kaede's body towards Kakashi, watching as the older ninja shuddered at the sound of her body hitting the ground with a firm thud and rolling once, then twice to come to a stop a few feet from where he was doubled over._

_---_

Kaede was blown back into the wall, hitting it with a dull, blunt thud, sliding down it slightly, blood smearing down the white surface. Her head hung low as she caught her breath. She shook it off as she moved back to her feet, listening to Kabuto chuckle. "Well, I have to admit, you have made this fun..." His tone changed drastically. "But this had gone on long enough. I'm tired of playing your games." His smrik returned as he watched her, her body tired and weak. "You tried, but now, you're just going to fail."

That last part echoed in her head, causing her eyes to narrow. She placed a hand on the wall and used it as a support as she pushed herself up. "No... I haven't failed yet..." she said softly. "And I won't... Nothing you say or do will stop me... from protecting him..." Kaede coughed lightly as she paused. "He's not going to die... I won't let him... I won't let him die..." She watched Kabuto's feet, which only shifted slightly. A soft smile crossed her face for some reason. Maybe it did because how she talked now reminded her of her father. She was sure and probably never would be. It faded though as she looked up at Kabuto, raising her head slowly.

_-----_

_Raising his head slowly, Kakashi sobbed painfully, a broken sound escaping his throat when he found himself staring into once bright, emerald green eyes, eyes he had quickly grown used to awakening to. Now, they stared unfocused and lifeless at him. Her paling lips were slightly parted, as if she had tried to whisper out something before Sasuke tore her life from her, something that would forever be her secret now._

_Somehow, he managed to suck in a painful breath and find the strength to drag his too-heavy body to his daughter. Kakashi shook as he rose a hand, running it gently across her brow, brushing that stubborn hair of hers back from her face. Predictably, it fell back into place. He cried and he broke, just how Sasuke wanted, only stronger, the pain cutting deeper then any sword could. This pain killed him in a way that no weapon could, while keeping him alive. At the same time, it tore him apart inside and out. There was just no stopping it._

_Kakashi buried his head into the crook of Kaede's neck, his arms sliding around the girl's tiny form. She was starting to feel cold now... She always hated being cold. "Now who's pathetic, Hatake Kakashi? Such a proud ninja, aren't you, yet you can't even save your own daughter."_

_Sasuke stared hatefully at the two ninja, that anger building again. Even though she was dead, Kakashi still held Kaede like only a father could, careless of the blood or mud soaking into his clothes, careless that Sasuke was still there and still a threat to the elder male's life. "I swore to take everything precious from you. I have... And now what? You don't have anything to say? Attack me!" Kakashi didn't move from his position. He couldn't take this grief. Oddly though, there was no anger, there was no place for it the pain he was feeling... The loss... It took up every part of him, leaving no space for anything else._

_Except..._

_"I pity you, Sasuke."_

_Sharigan eyes widened in surprise at Kakashi's words. Slowly, Kakashi rose his head, turning to look at the Uchiha. Though tears and blood marked his face, pain, grief and sorrow were so easy to read on his features, yet those dual eyes remained calm, clear and emotionless. "What did you say?" The Copycat turned to look down at Kaede's face, another painful sob escaping the ninja as he gently closed her open eyes and pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead. Finally, releasing his hold on his daughter, Kakashi forced himself to stand and step away from the girl's form._

_"I said, I pity you."_

_Surprised eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and Sasuke ground his teeth. "How dare you. If anyone needs pity, it's you. I've..." Before Sasuke could continue speaking, Kakashi cut him off, still speaking in his usual, calm manner. "You took the one person most precious from me, you've broken me how you wanted to and now, you'll proberly kill me, but it doesn't matter, because without her, I don't want to live. Death will be a welcome. I pity you because you've had to sink so low and in the end, you will have achieved nothing and be remembered as nothing more then a deserter... a traitor... Nothing more than that." Kakashi sighed sadly and rose his head so the two men were staring at one another before he added one last thing. "So, when you're ready, kill me."_

_-----_

"If you want to kill him... You'll have to kill me first... So... when you're ready... kill me..." The Sound nin didn't listen to her. Kabuto again went for Kakashi and Kaede again moved as fast as her body would allow, moving again in front boy. She then went at him head-on, headbutting him in the stomach. The blow caused him to reel back once again as Kaede fell back into her stance in front of her father's bed. He looked up at her, his anger growing. He hadn't expected her to actually have this much fight in her, but then again... He should've expected nothing less from the daughter of Hatake Kakashi...

However, he smirked once again. "Fine... If you want to die so badly... I'll gladly grant your wish!" He went at her now and she remained still... Iruka stepped forward defensively but Tsunade cut him off, shaking her head. He looked at her, wondering what she was doing. "Dont..." the older woman said. The brown-haired ninja noticed that deep worry in the Hokage's eyes. He went to say something, but she continued. "This is her fight... She told us not to intervene." Iruka again went to argue, but for some reason, he knew she was right. It was a strange way of thinking, but in a way, they both understood it.

They again turned to watch the two as they were locked once again into hand-to-hand combat. This time, Kaede's moves were slower, but now more skilled and thought-out than ever. In a way, she moved less like a Genin and more like a Chuunin... Or maybe like a Jounin... Her movements were graceful, masterful, flawless... Kabuto hardly got a hit in, much less seemed to do much damage to the little girl. Tsunade nor Iruke doubted her, but now it definitely showed that she was serious. Kabuto noticed it, too, and now, took it as a problem. He had seen the girl as a mere push-over, but... The girl was much more than that... Yes... Much, much more than some mere child.. Some mere Genin...

The Sound-nin moved to end this. He couldn't waste any more time battle her, especially with her skill level at the moment. As he rebounded after being blown back, he dove at her once more, his blade poise on spilling more of her blood. Kaede noticed that need to end it and at the last moment, kicked him away. He was blown back yet again, but this time, Kaede grasped his ankle, using the last of her strenght to swing him around, tossing him towards the two other ninja. They stepped aside and let Kabuto fly outside the room, hitting the wall on the other side of the hall, breaking through the neighboring room. Kaede watched as he burst into the darker room across the hall before sliding down weakly to the floor, her arm still dripping blood.

Now... everything was quiet. The room was now filled with good, plain...

_----_

_Silence._

_Was it possible for silence to be deafening? Kakashi had no idea nor did he care for the answer. For a moment, he had knocked Sasuke's mind off its tracks. There was nothing the boy could do to him that would rate higher then the loss of the Jounin's __daughter. It looked for a moment as if the youngest Uchiha wasn't going to do as Kakashi suspected and the Copycat smirked. "You're such a child."_

_That was all the push he needed to give as Sasuke pulled Kasanagi from its sheath and rushed his former sensei. The silver haired ninja smiled gently as the sharp blade caught the light and swung up cutting through the length of his torso and shoulder. A wet sound escaped Kakashi's throat before he collapsed to his knees, then to the ground. He felt how he had when Sasuke ran him through, how he had as Kaede cried and fussed over him. He could still hear her gentle prayers for him to be alright... for it to all be a bad dream..._

_For him to wake up._

_As his dual eyes slowly started to close in death, a soft smirk crossed Kakashi's face. He could..._

_Wake up..._

_Finally..._

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And that ends Chapter 4. Chapter 5 is in the works and shall be up as soon as it is finished and editted and all that fun stuff. I hope you enjoyed the story so far and hope to get a review or two from you! Please tell us what you think. And no offense, but honestly, I've posted worse and gotten more reviews... What's up with you people? Hmm? Hmm?? HMM?? Just joking. Haha. Again, see you back for Chapter 5!


	5. Crying, Not Raining

Disclamier and Introduction - Part 5:

After a long wait, we have finally gotten Chapter 5 up for you to read! Sorry it took so long, but due to things, such as computer problems and getting sick, we were on a temporary halt...

Oh, righty... Disclaimer. Neither Kitsune nor myself own Naruto or any of the characters from the series. Kaede is property of myself and I'm also in charge of editting. A majority of the writing and the idea of this story is all thanks to Kitsune.

Now, that we've gotten that done and over with, enjoy!

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It was dark and quiet in the room and Kaede once again sat up, leaning against her still-sleeping father's bed. She watched him tiredly, but even though she was tired, she still couldn't sleep. She sighed as she shifted in her chair, pressing her knees more into the hard frame of the bed. It hurt slightly, like the pain of the cut on her arm, but she knew this was nothing... Nothing compared to what her dad had felt...

Kaede let out another sigh as she leaned further on the bed, her arms folded gently in front of her. She ran her thumb along the bandages on her arm as she blinked slowly, her eyes making a quick scan around the room. They fell again on her father and the way he slept reminded her of how he used to watch her when she was sick.

He would always sit at the side of her bed, watching her throughout the night incase she couldn't sleep or needed anything. He never left and just him being there always made her feel a little bit better. Even if she was out cold, she always knew he was there. He never seemed to mind either and was always calm and gentle when taking care of her. She remembered that sometimes she would apologize for being a bother and he always said she never was.

During those times, when she was asleep, he would rub her head with his hand gently. He would run in softly down her face or keep it placed firmly near the top of her head, his palm pressed comfortably against her forehead. He would brush her hair back, despite it falling back into place or massage the side of her face with his thumb. It was always soothing and helped her rest a lot easier.

The little girl smiled at the small, yet very important memory. Slowly, she reached over and placed her small hand on his forehead, brushing those silver strands back, only to watch them fall back into place. Her expression softened as she ran her hand down his face, feeling the shape of it and how soft, yet how cold, his skin felt. Her hand paused at his cheek as it started to shake. The little girl gritted her teeth as she looked down at the bed, her green eyes watering.

She sniffled as her hand slowly dropped along with her head, which she rested in her arms. Her shoulders shook in the dark room as she cried once again, sobbing out soft apologies. She couldn't control herself... She just felt so guilty... The entirety of the past events were still felt upon her back and she felt solely responsible for them. Kaede continued to cry until her tears made her consciousness drift away, letting the young girl sleep. However, though she now slept, she still cried softly in her slumber, the tears still streaking her worn, fatigued face. She moved slightly, pulling her father's arm closer to her, resting her cheek softly upon it as the two slept in the silent…

-----

Darkness…

But not the uncomfortable type that had continued to meet Kakashi in his dreams, or whatever his mind and spirit had seemed to be trapped in. The Jounin stared up at the ceiling, various lines of tiles shadowing against the little light that was filtering through the curtained windows. Be it a streetlight or the moon causing such light, it wasn't important. The shadows seemed to creep and shift in such a way that a lesser, more fatigued mind might have been frightened by the shapes forming across their vision, but after what Kakashi had just experienced though, they were nothing but shadows.

A greenish light to the right of his vision made the Jounin turn his head slowly in its direction, sensitive eyes closing to narrow slits against the randomly flashing light. It took Kakashi a moment to realize what it was and that it was reading his heartbeats. A odd, light suck and harsh hissing sound reached his ears then, and Kakashi winced in pain, a light grunt escaping him as he put weight on his injured shoulder to see the machine responsible for the noise. A tube pushed down within the glass before sliding back up and repeating the same process. Following the narrow tube from the machine, Kakashi laid a hand on his face, feeling the oxygen mask that covered his nose and mouth as it fed him air.

With the knowledge of both objects he glanced at his right arm and the trio of needles resting in his skin. Following them with his eyes, Kakashi looked up at the drips and smirked weakly. Obviously, he was in a hospital.

Well, at least he knew he wasn't dead, which, last time he checked, was definitely a good thing.

He tried to move his left arm and his fingers twitched in response, but the ninja was confused for a moment when it refused to do as he wanted it. In a slow manner, Kakashi tiredly turned his head to see what was going on. He stared at the silvery mop of hair that caught the light, making it 'sparkle' in various spots. A soft smile crossed his face as he stared down at Kaede, his chest tightening to the point of pain and he grit his teeth slightly, hearing the heart monitor speed up as his back arched a little. Kaede shifted in her sleep, making an odd whining noise in her throat as small hands tightened against his arm. Kakashi managed to calm his breathing down, the pain slowly fading as he went limp against the bed. His body shook as he stared at the ceiling, almost as if he was cold or something, as tears burned the corners of his eyes. He turned them towards Kaede, feeling those tears slip free and run down his face.

The sound of rain that started against the roof of the hospital merely became a dull noise in the back of his mind as he stared unfocused at Kaede, his little girl... She was alive, she was safe. Sasuke hadn't gotten her and he had saved her. That's why THEY were at the hospital, why HE was in the hospital bed and why HE was hooked up to the machines, and not her...

She was safe, so he hadn't failed her.

That relief hurt almost as much as the loss had and his chest started to hurt again. Closing his eyes, Kakashi focused on the rain, on the tears running down his face, and on Kaede's pulsem so strong and so close to his hand that he forced the limb to turn over so his palm was cupping her cheek. A smile graced his face as the little Hatake snuggled into the warm touch.

Everything was alright. She was safe and that was all that mattered. Kakashi felt so weak, so exhausted all of a sudden, but he couldn't stop staring at his daughter, not until his eyes stun and he knew that keeping his Sharingan open like that hadn't been a good idea. A few moments before he slipped back into unconsciousness, the softest of whispers escaped his lips as he did so.

"...Kaede..."

-----

The little girl woke slowly the next morning, her eyes opening to see the folds of the blanket and the fingertips of her father's hand, which was now cupped comfortably around the girl's cheek. She closed her eyes for a minute as she snuggled into it softly, letting out a long sigh as she remained still. Despite her promise, Kaede found her sight constantly clouded by doubt and lately, more so than before, her guilt. She brushed it away slightly as she sat up, stretching and yawning before leaning back on the bed, using her elbows as support, her head held in her hands as she stared back down at the blanket.

Something felt a bit strange that morning… It was like someone was watching her. She looked over at the doorway, only to find an empty hall, the florescent lights shining harshly into the still rather dark room. She seemed to stare at the empty space for a while before she glanced around the room, thinking maybe Naruto or Iruka had snuck in to check on them. Seeing neither of the two other ninja or any medic or anything, she refocused on a fold in the covers.

Her eyes, however, were suddenly drawn to her dad's fingertips again, his hand still curled as it was when cupped around her cheek. She followed his fingers up to his arm and then up to his neck, staring at his face. An illusion played across her eyes then. It was like his eyes were open… Like he was awake. Kaede dismissed it as she closed her eyes for a second, a slight pain stinging in her chest. That was a mean thing for her mind to do to her…

She looked up again and again, seen the same illusion. However, this time, it clicked in her mind that it wasn't a mere illusion…

The little girl's eyes widened as she looked up at him fully.

Kakashi smiled softly at the girl as she finally realized that it really was him awake and not some trick of light. He bowed his head softly in a nod as he lifted his hand a little in a small wave. Kaede just stared at him, tears now starting to flood in her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly as she went to speak, but she found her lips had suddenly become dry and she was only able to utter out one word. "D-dad…?"

Again, he nodded as he looked back up at her kindly, his eyes soft and gentle, the shade of his Sharingan seemingly softer in comparison again, too. Kaede's lip quivered as she continued to stare at him, a blink of her eyes letting those tears that had built up fall. The little Hatake gave a sob as she lunged at him, gently latching around his waist, crying into the material of his shirt and the blanket, her legs curling up next to him as she got as close as she possibly could. She didn't want to let go… She didn't want to lose him like that again…

Her father just eyed her softly as he rubbed her back. He wanted to tell her so badly that everything was all right now, but his lips and mouth were so dry, it was hard enough to swallow, let alone form words. He continued to rub her back, however, and after a while, finally found enough strength to pull her into a soft hug. She stopped crying for a second at the movement, but soon went to crying gently into the crook of his neck as she wrapped her arms around him. Kakashi laid his softly on the side of her neck, his chin resting lightly on her back as he felt a few tears now escape from his eyes as he slowly closed them.

They both had each other back… After all this time… They were finally together again…

Tsunade watched silently from the edge of the door, a soft smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks as well. After all that time… It just made her chest hurt with joy at seeing them that way. She shook her head softly as she sniffled, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "It's about time… you bastard… Do that again and I swear… I'll…" The Sannin trailed off as she just shook her head again… She couldn't threaten him right now. Not with that feel in the air. It would feel evil, even if it happened to be nothing but an idle threat…

The pale-haired woman pulled away and walked back down the hall. She'd let them alone for now, as they both needed time alone with together another… Even if they had both been in that room together all that time, they had still been separated during the entire period, so they'd have a lot of catching up to do…

She'd go pester Kakashi later…

The two Hatake remained tight in their hug until Kakashi felt the little girl fall limp against him, her breathing now even except for the occasional sob. She snuggled against him as he lifted his head, leaning back up against the back of the bed, still holding her close to him. It felt almost like their breathing synced up then as he felt her rise and fall softly in his arms, his chest mimicking the slight motion. He rocked her a bit before slipping down slightly himself, his eyelids now dropping as he soon fell into a soft slumber as well, Kaede still held firmly against him.

-----

A loud noise disturbed the Jounin after what only seemed like a few minutes, causing him to stir a bit. He slowly opened one eye and lifted his head a little, hearing more noise resonating from the hallway, a familiar voice the source of that noise. Kakashi made a face upon hearing it and laid back down, letting out a sigh as he gave his teddy bear of a daughter a soft squeeze, looking over at her face with a small smile.

Kaede opened her eyes slowly and looked down at him, her lips also turning up into a smile, though her green eyes filled again with tears. Her smile quivered as she spoke. "So, it wasn't a dream…" Kaede gave a stiff, short sob before reaching up to wipe those built up tears away. "Thanks goodness… I was so afraid it was…." Kakashi gave her a soft look as he brushed her hair back, giving her another squeeze. He went to speak , but he found the breathing apparatus made it just as difficult to speak as the dryness of his mouth.

The older Hatake glared at the plastic mask as he rose his hand to it, pulling at it softly, causing the little girl on his chest to raise her head worriedly. Kakashi shook his head at her, pushing her hand away as she reached up to stop him. He knew he shouldn't remove it without permission and he knew Tsunade would chew him out for it later, but… he wanted to speak to his daughter.

He pulled it off slowly, dropping it off at the side of the bed, taking a few breaths of regular air before looking up fully at Kaede. He smiled at her brightly, yet gently, though the silver-haired girl didn't dismiss her worried look. Kakashi sighed as he brush her hair back again. "Don't worry…" he said softly. "I'm fine…." Kaede felt her chest tighten then. That was the first time…The first time in weeks… That she had heard his voice. She had almost forgotten what he sounded like…

Kakashi shifted up into a sitting position, moving Kaede a down bit until she was beside him. He rubbed her upper arm as he gave the little girl another squeeze, looking down at her. "But… how are you?" Kakashi's voice was still soft and feeble as he spoke, but it still held that same tone of kindness and love that it always held when he spoke to the young Hatake. Kaede looked up at him. "I'm… okay…" Her eyes trailed away a bit and Kakashi noticed a soft glint of guilt. "Just 'okay'?" The little girl nodded as she leaned against him, snuggling into him gently.

Kaede coughed softly as she let another silence pass between them. She didn't know what to talk about… Maybe there wasn't anything really for them to talk about… She sniffled and Kakashi looked down at her once more, his hand automatically pressing against her forehead, feeling that the small girl was slightly warm and saw that her cheeks were a light pink.

"Coming down with a cold?"

She shrugged and her father went to speak, but a woman's voice dominated the air instead. "Kakashi… You're awake." The Hatake duo looked up at the door, Tsunade standing there with a soft smile spread on her face. She then noticed his mask was off and she gave him a stern look. The Jounin just returned that stare and she sighed. Nope, she still couldn't threaten him…The pale-haired woman just shook her head as that smile returned to her lips.

The Sannin opened her mouth slightly, but before she could say anything, a familiar, hyperactive blonde barged into the room. Tsunade went to grab his collar, but missed as Naruto darted towards Kakashi's bedside. "Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you! He's not ready for visitors!" The blonde didn't seem to hear her as he basically tackled his sensei, only a bit softer. "Kakashi-sensei! You're alright! I was so worried about you!" He ranted on as he smothered him, apparently not noticing the pain he was causing the man. Tsunade now approached the bed and attempted to pry Naruto off, though the boy was rather defiant about it. Kakashi was cringing in pain at the moment and the little Hatake next to him was being squished.

"Naruto! Get off him!"

There was chaos for the next few minutes, but Tsunade finally managed to get Naruto off the injured Jounin. She managed to shoo him off as well, telling him to come back in a few days and the blonde reluctantly agreed and left, last heard saying he'd be out for ramen.

Tsunade merely shook her head as she came back into the room. "I'm sorry… I thought I had chased him off earlier. None of your wounds have opened up, have they?" Kakashi shook his head as he rose his hand to wave it off. "No, no. I'm fine. Just a bit sore and tired… I'll live…" The older woman nodded. She saw that tired look in his eyes. "Well, then I'll leave you to rest then. Call me if you need anything, okay?" She went to leave.

"Wait, Tsunade-sama." The woman turned with a questionable expression on her face. "Yes?" Kakashi looked down at Kaede, who had slipped back into a sleep. "Could we… maybe get another room…where we both can stay together? Kaede's not feeling well and she'd probably be better off in a bed of her own." Tsunade nodded. "Sure thing. I'll get a few of my medics in here to move you two, then." The Jounin nodded in return and the Hokage left with another soft smile on her face.

The two silver-haired ninja were soon moved to a slightly larger room and Kaede was placed into a separate bed. Kakashi wanted to keep her by him, but he knew that the little girl needed rest in a proper bed and not hunched up in some little chair. He looked over at her while she slept. Though her face looked peaceful in her sleep, he still saw that same lingering guilt that had been in her eyes…

-----

Iruka walked again into the hospital, spotting Tsunade, raising a hand to wave her down. The Sannin turned to the teacher with a light smile. "Iruka-sensei. Back again, are we?" He nodded and noticed that smile on her face, making one of his own spread on his. "Yeah, just can't stay away… Actually, I'm here to check on Kakashi and Kaede? How are they? Better, I hope?" The older woman nodded as her smile widened slightly as she mindlessly brushed some hair back behind her ear.

"Kakashi… He… He finally…He finally woke up…." That brought tears back to the Sannin's eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "They're finally back together again… I…" She found herself lost for words once again and just stood there with that odd smile. Iruka stood their wide-eyed, his face then breaking into a wide smile of his own. However, he was the opposite of the speechless Sannin. "He's awake? Really? When did he wake up? How is he right now?" The Chuunin continued to rattle of questions before Tsunade stopped him.

She placed her weight one leg as she leaned slightly, folding her arms. "He's fine. Still a bit sore and tired, but otherwise, alright… He woke earlier this morning. I'm not sure what time, but I know it was sometime this morning." Tsunade glanced up at him, knowing he was going to start on Kaede next. "And Kaede's fine, too. She's apparently down with a cold right now though… Oh, right. I was wondering, if you would mind sitting in with them for now. There's a few things I have to do and with Kakashi still bedridden, he can't really take care of Kaede. I know I have other medics for that, but I think it would help if it was someone she knew more so than one of my staff… So, if you wouldn't mind helping… I know you have class and all, but I mean on your down time, if you could come by and just check on her."

Iruka nodded with a bright smile. "Sure, I can. It's no problem." He made a rather childish, pleading face. "…Is it alright if I come back and see them, then?" The Sannin nodded softly. "Sure. Follow me. We moved their room because Kakashi though Kaede would like to sleep in a bed better than a chair if she was sick." Tsunade then lead the scarred teacher down to the Hatake's new room, knocking softly on the door. "Kakashi? Kaede? You two have a visitor." She peeked in, seeing that Kakashi was up, but Kaede was still out. The Jounin looked up questionably at the Sannin, his face now covered with his regular face mask.

"Oh, hi." He waved slightly as he looked up from his book. It had still been hidden in his vest which had been kept in the back. Kaede had brought it to him the other day when she brought a few other things for him, including his mask. Reading helped him pass the time a lot better than staring off at the wall. He noticed Iruka step up beside the older woman. "Oh, Iruka-sensei's here, too?"

The teacher smiled and waved back. "Yup, I'm here, too." Tsunade looked at the two before setting her eyes back on Kakashi. "That's right. He's going to come in to check on you two for a bit. I know you'd want to take of Kaede, but you're in no condition to be getting up quite yet. I hope you don't mind." Kakashi shook his head. "No, that's fine." He looked over at the little girl, as she mumbled and turned in her sleep. There was a slight sweat on her forehead and that guilty look was still etched on her face. Kakashi's eyes softened slightly. That little girl had seriously been worn out from this, but, he still didn't full understand the cause of her guilt.

Iruka glanced over at the sleeping Hatake, too, his face saddening a bit as well.

-----

For the next few days, the brown-haired ninja came in to check on the two, normally just sitting there watching Kaede as Kakashi read. The little girl slept a majority of the time, though, but was found to be abruptly woke by some kind of nightmare, the girl jolting up quickly in her bed, her eyes slightly teary. It worried the two men greatly each time she did it, but she never bothered to tell either of them what haunted her in her dreams. She would wake and take a few minutes to calm down, looking at them for a second before turning her eyes down at her covers. She would then lie back down and drift back to sleep, only to be woke a while later by another nightmare.

She had, at least, started eating again, though…

The Chuunin sat there, checking over papers as Kaede sat in bed and ate. She was finally getting back to her normal eating habits, but seemed to be moving slowly with it and didn't eat as much as she normally did. Tsunade figured she would get back to normal in a few days, seeing as she hadn't ate much during the last three week period and still seemed to be slightly troubled.

Thinking about that, Iruka eyed the little girl. He thought she would be a lot more… Well, hyper wasn't the word, but more energetic or happy that her father was finally awake… However, she was just as quiet and melancholy as when he was asleep, even if it was milder than before. But this time, the girl seemed to be having issues with even looking at Kakashi, much less being in the same room with him when awake. When the little girl wasn't sleeping, she'd wander the hospital halls, straying well away from the room as much as she could…

The teacher knew why though… She was troubled because of her attempt on her father's life. He knew that little girl well enough to know that was probably the thing tearing her apart and staining her dreams. During the night while he was still there, when she was asleep, she would constantly apologize, her face screwing up painfully and sadly each time, tears sometimes flowing softly from her eyes. …Yes, that's what was ripping the girl up, but Iruka knew that she wasn't going to say anything about it. He could tell that the little girl didn't want her father to know and he could understand. The news would probably tear him up just as much as it did the to the little girl….

Iruka pulled out of his thought process and looked up from his clipboard and at the girl. She had stopped eating again, her eyes focused at the opposite wall, their green color deep and empty, slight shame filling their recesses. Iruka's assumptions were dead on. Whenever she looked at Kakashi, she felt pain inside because of her attempt on his life. Sasuke's no longer bothered her… Only her own… How could she even…?

The little girl moved her tray away from her as she flipped the covers back, moving her legs over the edge. Both Kakashi and Iruka looked up and watched her as she stood and slowly left the room. Iruka got up shortly after her and watched her down the hall, seeing the little girl disappear into the bathroom. He blinked as he thought, then turned back to Kakashi, who had focused back down at his book.

"Kakashi… We… Need to talk…"

Kaede's footsteps were slow and silent as she wandered back down the hall, her head hung low, her eyes still plunged into her shame. She blinked sadly as she came closer to the room, but paused as she heard Iruka's voice through the doorway. The little girl pressed herself against the wall and inched quietly towards the door, listening inside the room.

Iruka let out an uncertain sigh and scratched his head nervously, looking at the edge of the bed. Kakashi merely eyed him curiously before titling his head. "What is it, Iruka?" he asked, the Jounin's voice still weak and soft. Iruka sighed again as he looked up at the silver-haired man. "Kakashi… There's something you need to know… And this pains me to tell you, but…" The teacher paused as he looked for the right way to say it. It was so difficult to say, much less think about. Iruka bit his lip as he noticed Kakashi's prying eye, its dark color full of wonder, though it was still partially focused at his book.

He semi-gritted his teeth. "Well… While you were still out… We had a few incidents…" The brown-haired man paused once more as Kakashi leaned slightly, his attention then drawn more away from his book. "What? What happened? Was Kaede alright?" Iruka nodded head and held his hands up to stop Kakashi, beating that parental protectiveness down. "Yes, yes… Everything was……" Well, he couldn't very well say 'alright', now could he?

Outside, Kaede slid slowly down the wall, her arms wrapped around her stomach, her eyes watery. Her tears ran uncontrollably down the young girl's face, but she remained silent as she shifted to hug her knees. She continued to listen as Iruka went on, the man's words still hesitant.

"It was… Kakashi… I know this is going to be hard to hear, but… While you were asleep… Kaede broke…" He noticed that deep worry in Kakashi's eye. "Slightly. Slightly… She… She tried to…" He swallowed as he finally mustered up the courage and spat it out. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, but Kaede tried to kill you…" And the glass was shattered.

The room fell into an eerie silence as Iruka looked painfully away, unable to take that heartbroken look from the other man. Kakashi's face was blank, yet exploded with emotion and he could hardly believe what he had just heard. But he knew he heard it, as those burning words still echoed in his ear. The Jounin had nothing to say.

They both seemed to zone out from that point until a soft noise turned their attention to the door. A wet-faced, little Kaede stood there, her head hung semi-low, her hands balled into fists at her side. Her expression was that of complete sadness and regret, her green eyes stinging with her guilt. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but at every attempt, her words broke. Iruka stared at her nervously, unable to comprehend what could happen and unable to think of anything to do. He frowned sadly at the girl before his eyes shifted slowly to Kakashi. Iruka seemed to stop breathing for a second as he saw the silver-haired man's face.

It was still blank and still sad. His eye seemed just so focused on the girl. It hurt, even to Iruka. The silence that was cast between them also stung and it was deafening. Kaede just stared back at her father, her eyes still leaking out her tears, which ran painfully down her face. She sobbed as she collapsed to her knees, holding her stomach as she cried. Kakashi looked down at his blankets, now noticing how white his knuckles were from clenching the bedding.

The scene paralyzed Iruka, the Chuunin unable to move from his spot. He could feel the heavy tension in the room and hated the feeling and hated himself for telling Kakashi. He looked at Kaede. The brown-haired man wanted to go over and embrace her, but anything he did would mean nothing now. He now gazed at the floor, his fists now held tightly in his lap as he listened to Kaede's crying.

Kakashi slowly raised his gaze to the little girl, his face still wearing that strange expression, that one eye now just as blank and confused. He stared at her for a few moments as she remained hunched over, her tears forming a small puddle before her knees, her tears falling with an almost inaudible splash. He eyed her before his mouth opened slightly, hesitant words uttering from his lips.

"You… gave up on me, Kaede…?" he asked, those words blank and dull, yet so serious.. He continued on as if he wasn't thinking. The words just seemed to come without any thought to them at all. "You wanted… me dead? Did you… stop loving me?"

That made Kaede freeze immediately, her sobs stopping abruptly. She lifted her head slowly to look at him, her eyes widening at that gleam in his, the former ANBU's expression sending a pain through her entire body. Her lips quivered as she looked at him wide-eyed, shaking her head. She was completely dumbfounded and bewildered. Had she been standing, she would have probably fallen over… "What? I… No… No… That's not… That's not what I wanted… I… No! That isn't what I wanted! That's not what happened!" She leaned forward as she cried out, still shaking her head. "How… How could I…?"

Iruka now looked up as well, watching the two gingerly, the teacher completely shaken and just as blown away as the little girl. How could Kakashi think that of her? He glanced at him slightly, seeing the man look back down as more words came that just added more to the fire. "I don't know… Why don't you tell me?"

Kaede staggered to her feet as she shook her head harder. "No… You don't understand! I never wanted that! I never…I didn't…" She stepped back slowly as her eyes became teary again. Kakashi just shot a short look at her and that made the little girl break. The young Hatake whirled on her heel with a cry and bolted out the door. Iruka stood as he called out for her. "Kaede! Wait!" The teacher threw Kakashi a quick glance before chasing after the girl, calling after her.

He rounded a corner and ran into Tsunade, who caught his arm gently, pulling his eyes up to hers, the teacher looking up at her worried and flustered. "Iruka! What's wrong?" Iruka just stared at her for a second before swallowing whatever had blocked his throat, his eyes then trailing down. "I… I told Kakashi… What happened… What Kaede tried to do…" The brown-haired man explained. "He… He didn't take it well… He asked Kaede… If she had stopped loving him…" His eyes narrowed sadly as he recalled the Jounin's words. They were so… So… Iruka didn't know how to explain them, but he could still feel that pain they had caused.

The Sannin just stood there silent and now wide-eyed herself. "He said that?" Iruka nodded stiffly. The Hokage released his arm as she dropped her arms to her sides, a sigh escaping her mouth. "Let me talk to him then…" With that, she stepped away from the teacher and towards the Hatake's room. She peeked in to see Kakashi staring at the bedding once again, his eye still blank and unfocused and his hands clenched tightly on his blanket. She flinched slightly at that look in his eye. How could he even have thought that about Kaede…? She sucked it up as she put on one of her tougher demeanors.

"You made me lie to her, you know." Tsunade walked slowly into the room, her arms folded across her chest. Kakashi looked up at her, his eyes sullen and confused, staring at the Sannin before looking away. "What do you mean by that, Tsunade-sama?" The older woman gave him a look. "I told her a few hours, maybe a couple of days, not three weeks, Kakashi. You're two and a half weeks late. That's too late, even for you."

The Jounin didn't say anything as he sat silent, his hands held in fists in his lap, his eyes focused on the blankets. The pale-haired woman eyed him before she sighed, running a hand through her hair, her other going to her hip. "Listen, I know you're shaken about the news… It still hasn't settled with Iruka or myself either… But… Do you really think that girl would still be here if she didn't love you? Do you think she would've sat around for three weeks? Do you know how long she's been here?" She paused as if waiting for an answer. "The entire time, since the two of your arrived the other night. She hasn't left this hospital, much less this room. Do you know how many tears she shed for you to wake up? How many prayers she said?"

"If she didn't love you, do you really think she would've fended off Kabuto like she did?" That caught Kakashi's attention, his head snapping up, his one open eye wide with his natural, fatherly worry. "Kabuto was here?" Tsunade nodded. "Yeah. He came to kill you and finish off what Sasuke started… Kaede wouldn't allow it.." The Sannin paced about the room as she spoke. "She stayed between you and him the entire time, defending you single-handedly. There was so much determination, so much devotion in everything she did that night…"

Tsunade thought back to the little girl's face, then, and turned to face Kakashi, her face graced with a soft smile. "Kakashi, she looked just like you… Her face, her eyes… She had that same expression…" She looked down as her smile faded. "If you can't call that love… the way she defended you and watched you like she did… then I guess I don't know what love is…" She paused again before she looked up at Kakashi, who was now looking back down at the covers. "If you think she didn't love you any more because of that one incident, then… I… I didn't know you could think that way about her Kakashi. I didn't know thoughts like that crossed your mind about her…I don't see how you, of all people, could even let thoughts like those enter you mind…"

With that, the Sannin walked away, her figure disappearing around the door, her heels clicking with each step. Kakashi was left there alone in a silence as he continued to stare at the blanket, his knuckles once again white.

'She took on Kabuto? All on her own...to protect me?' He found himself staring at the same spot on the sheets for a length of time until Kakashi finally seemed to come to a single clear thought, his hands slowly releasing the sheets and returning blood flow into his fingers. How could he have ever doubted Kaede's love for him? How could he not expect this to have pushed her to the brink? Tsunade was right though… Two and a half weeks was way too late, even for someone who was almost always tardy in virtually every aspect of his life. "Oh, Chibi..." Kakashi gave an ached grunt as he pushed himself up into a higher sitting position and pulled the bed sheets back. He hated this feeling of being so weak… Even if he was starting to get stronger as he recovered, Kakashi knew it would be a while before he was back to his normal self.

It wasn't going to stop him from dragging his hind out of this bed though.

Pulling his legs limply over the side of the bed, Kakashi stopped to even his breathing and get over the slight head spin the sudden movements had caused. It took a bit, but the Jounin managed to move his feet back and forward to get the circulation flowing again. Once he willed the pins and needles to leave his legs, Kakashi looked at the needles still in his arm with a frown, turning his eyes to linger on the drip stand. Well, at least it had wheels.

Wrapping his hand around the cold metal of the stand, he pulled it free from its spot just behind the head of the bed. Kakashi checked what else was hooked to his still before removing them. At least he didn't have that respirator that had been shoved down his throat to deal with. Kaede had told him about that at some point with a grimace on her face. Obviously, she hated to remember him hooked up to everything like that. Running his fingers across the top of his mask, Kakashi closed his eyes. His Sharingan was covered by a white medical eye patch, thanks to Tsunade, though he would have preferred his headband but... This for now was good enough. At least he was able to have his facemask back because Kaede had brought it in.

He sighed.

And he still doubted his daughter's love for him? Had Sasuke hit him in the head or something? Baka, baka, baka! That's what he was for ever doubting her! Could he honestly say if he was in her position that he wouldn't have thought of wanting to ease his loved one's suffering? His own father's suffering?

Hopefully, Kaede hadn't left the hospital just yet and he could still find her, because he doubted Tsunade or anyone else was going to just let him drag his sorry ass out of this hospital. Iruka either, for that matter. That is, if the teacher was still hanging around nearby. Frowning, Kakashi eased his feet down to the floor and braced himself against the side of the bed as he attempted to stand. His knees shook dangerously in the hospital issued pants and his mostly hidden face showed just how much concentration it was taking to not just crumbled into an undignified heap on the floor.

Three weeks of not moving about was definitely catching up to him now as his knees buckled and Kakashi collapsed onto them, sitting on the floor. Breathing hard for a bit, Kakashi tried to think of just where Kaede might have gone. He couldn't think of anything except that look on her face after Iruka told him about her slip in faith. Hearing that and seeing the look on her face had felt like Kusanagi was being shoved into his chest again. Every time he thought about that hurt on her familiar face, the pain seemed to inflame. He could feel a warm sting in his eyes and Kakashi rubbed his visible eye removing the tears before they were able to fall on their own. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have wanted to ease his suffering to begin with, even as odd as that sounded.

Kakashi frowned again and grabbed the metal stand of his drips, and with a dark growl, he forced himself to his feet, refusing to let the shaking in them put him down again as he used the stand to support himself. He had to find her. He had to tell her that he forgave her, that he loved her, and that he knew she loved him. He had to tell her everything was alright now.

He had to make it out of this room first.

Why did the door seem to be so far away, and why did he feel so exhausted after just managing to make it to the window? He had even used both the wall and the drip stand to support himself. Forcing himself to keep moving, Kakashi shook it off and made it to the door of his room and peeked out, wondering which way to go.

Raising one hand Kakashi, wiggled his finger side to side, finally pointing it to the left. His direction of travel determined, Kakashi stepped into the hall and moved at an easy pace, stopping only every now and then when he needed to stable himself or he needed to take a breather. Since when had the halls in the hospital been so long? The Copycat leaned up against the corner of the hall looking left and right again. Well, he was leaning against the right side of the hall, so he might as well make it easy on himself and just keep following to the right. At least he hadn't run into anyone yet, but damn…. The pressure on his shoulder hurt. Swapping hands again with the stand, Kakashi shuffled over to the left side of the new hall and continued. That was better.

The elder Hatake had no idea where he was going or for how long he had been walking. The only thing he was aware of was aching muscles, the light trickle of sweat down the back of his neck, and that heavy tired feeling creeping up his spine. He stopped in front of a set of frosted glass doors and raised his head to read the sign above the doors: Hospital Garden.

Pushing against one of the doors, Kakashi moved into the room, blinking at the sting the sunlight caused to his visible eye. He was too used to being in the dark or under pale florescent lights… Raising a hand to shield his vision, Kakashi took a look around the garden. The roof raised up into a glass dome that allowed sunlight to filter in for the plants, but didn't allow rain to get in. The small trees and various plants that littered the area Kakashi recognized as medical plants, but they all seemed to suit one another, making the place beautiful without being too 'loud'. A couple of birds seemed to have made the garden home and fluttered about, some landing in the little artificial stream and pond that bubbled gently, the sound soft and calm. Down the short path was a decent sized grassy spot with seats for people to sit on to enjoy their surroundings. Hidden behind some fern like trees at the far side of the 'dome', Kakashi could just see another set of doors. Obviously, they led outside, but seemed to be locked at the moment.

Dragging his tired body over to the nearest bench, Kakashi sat down on and sighed heavily as he closed his eyes, simply just listened to the area. He listened to the bubbling water, the birds, and the lightest sound coming from the air vents that filtered clean air into the room. He noticed his own deep, even breathing even added to the noises he could hear.

But… There seemed to be something missing…

…Kaede…

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And now... On to chapter 6. Yes, that's right, we're doing another chaper... Aren't we evil? Anyway, we hope you've enjoyed this latest installment and hope to hear back from you on what you think of it. We also hope you'll come back and join us for the next, hopefully the last, chapter of Nightmare.


	6. My Precious Someone

Disclaimer and Introdcution:

Welcome to Nightmare!

This is our final chapter for this bit of the Hatake's lives and we hope you've enjoyed it so far! Again, neither Kit, my writing partner, nor I own any of the Naruto characters however Kaede is mine. If we did, this wouldn't be a story, but part of the actual manga. Heheh...

Anyway, hope you enjoy the end of Nightmare!

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Kaede wandered aimlessly down the hallway, her arms hanging limp in front of her, swaying with each smooth, yet slow step. All seemed silent, but she could still hear static… It was like the connection had suddenly been cut and she was no longer there. Her eyes were blank and lifeless and her skin tone even seemed to be paler than usual. Her lips were slightly part as fractions of sounds were uttered out occasionally as she trudged mindlessly down the corridor.

The little girl was crushed…. Broken…

Those words echoed in her head again. 'You… gave up on me, Kaede… ?' Her body shuddered. 'You wanted… me dead?' Her eyes narrowed as tears overflowed the edges. 'Did you… stop loving me?' She felt the tears flow down her cheeks, the small drops warm against her seemingly cold skin. She could remember that look he had shot at her. It hurt. It was painful. It was like a stab to the heart…

The young Hatake found herself leaning against the wall then, as she sobbed, pressing herself against the hard surface. Her thought process started to return, but she found it clouded, stained by those words and that glare. They had been so serious… It was like he meant it… Maybe he did mean it… Kaede gave a short, abrupt sob as she thought about it. "He hates me…" she cried softly, pushing away from the wall, taking more shaky steps forward. "He… He doesn't love me… anymore… and it's all my fault." The little girl leaned against the wall again as she continued to cry, the thoughts themselves tearing a hole through her

She shook her head, but she couldn't shake those thoughts. They were almost burned into her memory…She soon found enough strength, though that's not what she called it, to push away from the wall again, staggered back down the hall. Her sobs now filled the empty area as she walked, soon coming to the frosted doors that lead to the hospital's garden. The little girl looked up at them as she pushed through the entrance, walking slowly into the rather serene feeling place.

Kaede's sobs softened, but continued, her legs soon moving her slowly towards the center. The room was calming. It reminded her of her walks through the forest. She'd listened to the wind, to the rustle of leaves and the birds, or any nearby water… They all had their ways of calming her down, but she still felt like some empty shell now. She turned her emerald eyes up to the glass domed roof. She felt so far away, so lost… Nothing seemed right anymore…

After a while, the little girl looked down and found herself staring at Kakashi, who stared at her from the bench he sat on, a strange silence filling the girl's ears.

She wanted to turn, but all signals to her legs went dead as she just stood there, staring like a deer in the headlights. Kakashi merely returned her stare. She look so miserable, so guilt-ridden… That look in her eyes stung and it caused the older Hatake to look down. She only looked that way because of what he said and how he spoke to her, his tone distorted by his own shocked, stupidity. He gazed back up at her. He wanted to apologize so badly, but he feared she would only take it as a way to make himself feel better…

He didn't want her to think that… He wanted her to think… No, to know, that he was sorry and that he had been stupid in doubting her. He wanted her to know that he still loved her… He opened his mouth slowly to speak as his sight trailed down again. "Kaede…"

"I'm sorry!" The little girl interjected, causing Kakashi to look back up. "I didn't want you dead... I just didn't want you suffering... I didn't want you in pain..." The little girl cried, looking down, her shoulders starting to shake. "I know... Tsunade-sama said you weren't... But how would I know... I was afraid that you slept there in some pain that you wouldn't be able to tell us about... I didn't want you like that..."

She sniffed as she paused. "I didn't want to be selfish... I didn't want to keep you like that just because I wanted you back... I didn't... I…." A pain filled her chest as she trailed off, giving a stiff sob. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." Kaede shook her head as she continued to apologize.

Kakashi watched in slight shock at the little girl's sudden breakdown, watching as she collapsed on her knees, holding her face with her hands as she shook in her sobs, shaking her head. "I… I don't want… you to hate me…" Her cries filled the garden as they seemed to be the only sound in the room, the birds seemingly silent in the trees, almost as if they were sympathetic towards the young girl. The bubbling of the river even seemed to be drowned out. Kakashi stared at her softly as he listened to her cry. "…Kaede…"

The little girl took a hard, deep breath as she heard him speak. She wanted to listen to him, but she was afraid… Afraid that he would blame her again or say the things she feared the most. She was afraid to look up even, in fear of seeing that glare he had shot at her earlier. If she saw him look at her like that again, it would probably kill her… Kaede remained staring at the ground and Kakashi noticed the girl's pain. He felt it too.

The weak Jounin went to stand, slipping down the first few times, but finally managed to get to his feet, walking over to her slowly, pulling the drip stand along with him. He kneeled down next to her shakily on one knee, brushing her hand slightly away from her one cheek and replacing it with his own. The little girl sucked up a breath as her eyes softly widened, some strange fear filling her. She felt as if he was going to hit her or something.

Instead, he placed set his hand on her face gently and after a moment, raised his other hand and pulled her cheeks gingerly, making her look up at him with a funny, forced grin. He gave a soft laugh at that before he let go. "Where's that smile of yours..?" He asked, as she raised her hand back to her cheek, feeling slightly dumbfounded. "I almost saw it there.." Kaede looked up at him and he smiled weakly.

"Then…You don't… hate me…?" she asked, looking down slightly. Kakashi gave her a surprised look, before his eye softened again. He shook his head. "No, Kaede…" He leaned forward as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her small form close to his. His eye became teary as he held her, resting his chin lightly on her back again. "I could never hate you… No matter what happens…. I could never, ever hate you… " He paused as he gave a light sniff. "I never meant to hurt you like that… To make it feel as if I didn't love you… I just wasn't thinking… I… I……. I'm the one… Who needs to apologize… Not you…"

Kaede went semi-rigid and semi-limp in his hold, but then, gently hugged him back. Kakashi gave her a tight, yet soft squeeze. "'When I was asleep… I didn't even know… If I was still alive or not… If you were still alive or not…. I kept seeing things… People… Places…That I knew, though they had been gone from my life for a very long time… In those dreams……. " Kakashi couldn't think of a better word for them besides dreams, as that's what they seemed like, though at the same time, they were torture, even if they were, in a sense, a way back to Kaede. "… I…. I was so afraid that I had lost you… That I had failed you… I.." Kakashi thought back to Sasuke's words and they sent a chill down his spine and made his eyes water.

'_I'm glad you're alive, because now I can watch as I break you.'_

He hugged Kaede tighter. He didn't want to let go as the rest of those words spilled across his mind.

'_Because it's your fault she died.'_

Kakashi frowned at them as he tried to brush them away. He wasn't going to tell Kaede of those details… She didn't need to know… It would do them both better… If they were locked away…. How could his mind even allow that kind of image to be shown to him. "I don't blame you, Kaede… I don't hate you…I…I still love you."

Kaede just hung there. "….I still love you, too, dad…."

At that, the man felt a strong sense of relief in his heart, his eyes filling with tears of both joy and sadness. He then fell limp against the little girl, who caught his weight, pulling him back slightly to see what happened. Her eyes looked at him widely, fear playing in her muscles, but then, she felt his heartbeat. At that, she gave a soft smile, the little line of her lips half happy and half sad. She made a face at him as she shook her head. "… What am I going to do with you… You just can't stop worrying me, hmm?"

She fell into a sitting position on the grass, her legs crossed. She moved him to where he was lying between her knees, his head resting on her stomach. The little girl played with her hair as she felt a few more tears fall, the little drops disappearing into the white strands. She felt his heartbeat again. It was still as strong and clear as ever… It hadn't faded…

"You're such a bother sometimes.." she said with a shaky sob, a smile still on her face. "But you're my bother…" Kaede looked up. "But I swear, you try this again.. And I'll have Tsunade-sama put your through a wall…" She gazed up lazily at the glass dome top, seeing a few birds outside pass by. She felt her lip quiver softly. "But please……. Don't do that again…." The young Hatake looked down at her father. "I still need you…. I don't know what I'd do… without you…."

Kaede wrapped her arms around him as she sighed, leaning forward slightly against his head. Her emerald eyes scanned over him, a small smile gracing her face. After a moment or two, she shifted him around until his arms were draped limply over her shoulders. She grabbed his drip stand and held it in her hand as she slowly started to drag him out of the garden, her steps sluggish, but gentle, her face calm as she made her way out the frosted doors.

As she made her way down the hall, she looked up to spot Tsuande, who looked at the two with a worried, yet relieved face. She approached the little girl with a kind expression and Kaede merely smiled, watching as the Sannin helped her carry Kakashi back to the room. The two laid him back down in the bed and Kaede pulled the covers up over him, pulling her chair next the edge of the bed once agan.

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A few days later, Kaede woke sluggishly, rolling slightly as she snuggled gently into her father. He still wasn't in a condition to be in a regular room with regular visiting hours, mostly on the fact that Tsunade didn't think he was quiet stable enough yet. His chakra levels still needed a little more time to recover and his larger wounds had a chance of reopening with too much excitement. It had surprised the older woman even that they hadn't opened after the other day's incidents, but then again, she was glad they hadn't.

Nope. The two Hatake were still stuck in the back rooms and now that Kakashi was awake, they were now frequently visited by nurses for daily check-ups.

In a way, it got annoying to the little girl. Some of the female nurses kept eyeing her father in a funny manner and it made her uncomfortable. Thinking about it right now had the little girl frown where she lay. What a dirty trick; trying to win his favor when he was injured. Sure, she was sitting right there next to him, down with a slight cold and slightly weak herself and did they offer her anything? No.

When they did bring her something, it was normally bad. That made Kaede look over the left to see a tray next to the bed, a hunk of what they called 'scrambled eggs' on a plate. They could call it whatever they wanted. That block of whatever-it-was did not look like food. It didn't look taste like food either.

The young Hatake sat up and looked at it, spotting a nurse pass by the door, slowing to glance in at the two. Well, to Kaede, they slowed to glance in at her father. Catching the slightly irritated look of the little girl, the nurse hurried off. Frankly, the little girl was tired of the hospital and of its fluorescent lights and of its annoyingly white walls. It all seemed too sterile and she was eager to get some actual food in her stomach. She was never going to grow with this hospital food being fed to her.

She chopped up the so-called 'eggs' but that was all she did. She then let them sit there, chopped and mangled, but no more appeasing. Kaede blinked lazily at them and turned as she heard her father stir, a low, tired moan vibrating from his throat as he moved. Kaede's eyes then focused on the door. As soon as her dad was up, there'd be at least two nurses in there with little handhelds and clipboards, asking the same questions they had for the last few days. They'd take his blood pressure, his blood sugar, his temperature… Then ask more pointless questions, like "What gender are you, sir?"

Green eyes rolled as the small girl thought more about it, turning back to the eggs and looking at the wall and its boring, dull whiteness. She yawned after a while before laying back softly, leaning on her father. She looked off to the side at him. "You awake yet?" Kaede asked. At least when he was up, she'd have someone to talk to.

Kakashi had told her she could go back home if she wanted or at least go outside, but the little girl still refused to leave. Her original promise had gone from staying until he told her to leave to where she wasn't leaving without him fully recovered. She wasn't just going to leave him here all by himself. He wouldn't if they were in the opposite positions. Of course she would've liked to have some ramen, but she liked it a lot better to know her dad was alright. That's how her priorities were set. His were set the same way when it came to her and the little girl was basically his copycat. She was the copycat of the copycat; plain and simple.

She would endure nasty, so-called 'food' for her father any day.

The Jounin moved slightly at the girl's words. "Almost…" he answered, his voice still sounding half-asleep. "But I don't want those nurses in here quite yet…" Kaede smirked at that. Either he knew how she felt or he just didn't want to be bothered. "… What's for breakfast?"

"Eggs," Kaede replied.

"Hmm…" The silver-haired man moved his arm back as he pushed Kaede upright, flipping himself over before setting her back down against him. His eyes remained closed. "If they come in… I'm sleeping…" he said softly. Kaede giggled softly and nodded. "Okay. And you're just talking in your sleep, right?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows at that. Right on spot.

Kaede just sighed as she snuggled down a bit, blinking tiredly. This place made her so sleepy, she didn't find it funny. She closed her emerald eyes for a minute and let out another sigh as she drifted back off.

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It was close to another week before they were actually moved to a regular room with regular hours for visititation. It made the two happy to finally see other faces outside those of the hospital staff and Tsunade and made Kaede even happier with the fact they normally came bearing gifts, which normally turned out to be food. Guess most people knew Kaede's eating habits all too well, but then again, she was content with that. It definitely beat eating that nasty chunk of foreign material they called 'food' at the hospital.

However, she still didn't care for being that overly sterile environment. Kakashi had also started showing signs of restlessness after a few days after the move, causing Tsunade to have to step in with a fear of him hurting himself.

"Now, Kakashi. You of all people should know you shouldn't rush things. Your wounds could still possibly open up if your not careful." Tsunade glowered at him strictly. She waved a finger in the air as she kept her other hand placed firmly on her hip. "I want you to give it at least two more days. Then, we'll see if you're ready to be discharged. Got it?"

Kaede hung her head softly at that. Then they'll see if he's ready? How long did they have to stay there? Yes, she was willing to wait, but even with her Hatake endurance, the little girl found that sitting in a hospital for five, almost six weeks, to be a very daunting task. She sighed as she looked back at Tsunade. "Uhm… Tsunade-sama?" The little girl pulled wide green eyes as she got the older woman's attention. "Could we possibly leave if I keep tabs on him? Make sure he isn't pushing it too much? Hmm?"

She made her eyes wider as she gave that innocent little smile of hers, lacing her fingers together as she tried to butter-up the Hokage. Tsunade just kind of stared at the show the young Hatake was putting on, but she found she couldn't actually say no to it either. She frowned in her head. This little girl knew just what to do to pull on the older woman's heartstrings. She ran her hand through her hair.

"Fine."

Both of the Hatake perked up. "What?" The asked at the same time, looking at the Hokage with shocked expressions.

"I'll let you two go now. You've been here long enough I suppose." She rounded the bed and lifted Kakashi's shirt as she examined his back. Her lips pulled down slightly at them as she ran a finger down the scar that marked his skin, causing the Jounin to shiver. Tsunade prodded at it and then examined his chest, applying pressure slightly to the wounds. "This still hurt?"

"A little, but not too much." Kakahsi smiled beneath his mask and Tsuande gave another look. She didn't believe him, but still, she said they could go and she couldn't go back on her word, now could she? She sighed. "Well, I'm gonna get you some painkillers for the next few days. That should help ease the rest of the pain. Meet me up at the front desk and I'll give them to you."

The Hokage turned to leave, but Kakashi stopped her. "Uh, you have an extra set of clothes or something? I don't think I'd feel too comfortable walking home in these." He pulled slightly on the hospital shirt he was wearing. The pale-haired woman made another face. Well, that was right… And his other clothes he had on when he had gotten there were ruined; soaked in blood and cut up to ribbons, from both the battle and the fight to get them off during surgery

"Do you want me to have someone stop by your house to get you a change of clothes?" Kakashi nodded at Tsunade's suggestion and she nodded in return before leaving the room.

Kakashi sighed after she was gone and stretched. "Ah, finally able to get out of here, right, Chibi?" He looked over at the young girl who just looked backat him and nodded. He smiled again as he ruffled her hair. "Come on. Smile. It'll all be back to normal soon." Kaede just nodded again as she forced a soft smile.

It wasn't like she wasn't happy, she just… Well, she felt funny. The last few events over the last few weeks left her with an impression she wasn't going to forget anytime soon and the little girl still feared for her father's life, then again, she did that on a daily basis. She gave a sigh as she looked down at her small hands which trembled slightly. Well, at least one thing was clear. This nightmare was about to end soon.

She gave a full smile at that and looked back up at her dad, who returned her grin, ruffling her hair once more. "See? That's better." He pulled her up into a hug. "After we get outta here, you want some ramen? I know I do." The little girl in his arms nodded frantically as her stomach automatically responded as well, rumbling lowly and happily. The Jounin gave another smile at that sound; it was one he hadn't heard in a while.

He rested his chin gently on the top of the girl's head as he closed his eyes, moving her into his lap. It was actually quite comfortable and Kaede closed her eyes as well, holding onto her dad's hands as she rested in his arms. They allowed a soft silence to fill the room then, just enjoying a father-daughter moment that was well over-do and well over-needed. Shame the two couldn't enjoy it for too long as there was a poof of smoke and a familiar call, causing the two silver-haired ninja to look up.

"Hey! Kaede! Kakashi! How's life treatin' ya?" Gai stood in one of his over-flamboyant poses in the doorway, grinning like always as the two Hatake just sat there in a slight daze. "Yes! There is no need to worry now, Kakashi, as I am here with your pants!" Kaede made a face as the green-clad Jounin tossed a bag at the two, which landed gently in front of them.

"You're aware of how strange that sounded, right Gai?" Kakashi grabbed the bag and peeked in it. Good, no green jumpsuit. Had Gai been funny and had thrown that in, Kakashi would've just walked home in the hospital clothes.

The Jounin dug around in the bag, finding another set of clothes in there, obviously too small for him. Oh, right. Kaede. He pulled them out and dropped them in the little girl's lap. "I'm pretty sure those are yours." He smiled up at Gai. "Thanks again, Gai."

"Hey, no problem. Just hurry up so we can go though. Tsunade-sama asked me to escort you home." Gai pointed a thumb out the door as he smiled and Kakashi nodded, crawling off the bed and disappearing into the bathroom. As he pulled off his shirt, he caught a slight sniff of it. Guess he'll need a shower when he got home. He pulled on the other shirt. Kaede probably would need one as well and he was figuring they might have to go grocery shopping, too. Kakashi left his thoughts as he finished dressing, leaving the room, letting Kaede go in afterwards.

He sat back down on the bed as he ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his mask and headband. He then glanced over at Gai, who had made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. "So, what have you been up to? Anything happen while I was out?" Kakashi looked away. He kind of hoped nothing too major had happened outside the walls of the hospital as he was still thinking about the events that had happened within them.

"Well, not much." Gai leaned back. "Lee and I just got back froma mission actually which is why we didn't stop by to see you two sooner. We actually didn't know you were in the hospital until a day before we left either." Kakashi made a thoughtful noise at that. "So news about what happened got around already?" Gai shook his head. "Not too much. Just among the small group of Jounin and that's it."

Kakashi nodded and looked upas Kaede came out of the bathroom. She smiled. "Okay, ready to go." Her dad nodded as he stood up and Gai followed suit, walking out of the room with the two Hatake following behind.

They went up to the front desk and Kakashi stopped by to fill out the discharge papers and pick up his painkillers. Tsunade handed him a small bottle, but when Kakashi opened it, the pills were huge. He gave a wide eye at it as she pointed at them, giving him the directions for taking them. "Take one when needed and don't take more than two within twenty-four hours. There's about enough in there for about a week because I don't think you'll need them for too, too long. Anything happens; a wound opens up or you cough up blood or something like that, you come back here and we'll see what we can do to fix that up." She smiled, but then gave him a stern look. "Just don't push it alright?"

Tsunade looked down at Kaede and the little girl nodded. "Don't worry. I'll keep tabs on him. Anything happens and you'll be hearing from me." The pale-haired woman smiled at that. "Good. I won't have to worry too much then, because I know he's in good hands."

Kakashi and Gai both smiled at that as well. They all knew it to be true and knew that the little girl would do anything to protect her father. She was just like him, afterall.

The three left after everything was taken care of and Gai did as he was told and escorted the two until they were at the corner of street to the Hatake residence. That's when they parted, but of course, not before Gai claimed Kakashi now owed him a challenge for being gone so long. Kakashi just waved it off as he normally did, causing the other Jounin to have a playful fit before leaving.

Kakashi sighed then. "Well, now that he's gone…" Kaede looked up at him with wide, hungry eyes. "Ramen time?" Her father nodded as he steered her towards the ramen shop. "Ramen time."

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A few days later…

"…151… 152…"

"Dad, I thought you said you weren't going to push yourself." Kaede looked down at her father from her spot on his back as he pushed up from the ground. "You remember what Tsunade-sama said, right?" Kakashi kept going before he answered his daughter. "Yes…. I know Kaede… But it's all right…. I'll just go… to 200 and I'm done… Okay?" He smiled up at her as he continued on, resuming his counting out loud. "… 156…"

The little girl just let out a sigh. "Alright, fine." She smiled as she went back to reading. Stubborn as always… "Just don't forget your pill after, 'kay?" Kakashi chuckled as he answered her in a bemused, sarcastic tone. "Yes, mother." Kaede just nudged him softly. "Funny."

Kaede just brushed it off though as she looked through the window, the morning sun still hanging in the bright blue sky. A soft smile spread on her face. Nope, that wasn't a dream.

The nightmare… was finally over.

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And this concludes Nightmare! Please review and tell us what you think! We hope you enjoyed this little bit and hope that you also look for other works by us. We enjoyed writing this and hope to get more up in the future.


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